New Soul [Zhang Ren, Fa Zheng, Shu Intro]

[Liu Bei]

A Ravine In The Forest
Cheng Du Region
A Tepid Afternoon

This part of the forest seemed the most alien. Liu Bei had been through this path, through this certain ravine many, many times before. Today however, it all seemed to eerily off. Perhaps it was the oncoming over cast, or the silence. Usually there were many signs of life. An idle deer, or the constant singing of the birds. Today--just the hoofs of the horses that the convoy rode on. They were small today. Liu Bei rode in the middle of the convoy, looking as incognito as he could--he wore nothing nor did anything could give away his importance in the realm.

It was a safety precaution; but it was also Liu Bei's preference. He enjoyed riding alone, that is, save for Kao Ba, the personal bodyguard of Liu Bei.

Kao Ba was nineteen, a slim, toned, and deadly nineteen year old. A character shrouded in mystery. Liu Bei didn't even know the whole story. Kao Ba was once apart of a sect of silent Buddhist monks called the Double Leaf Sect. They did not speak, they only trained their bodies and minds to be in perfect harmony; they also happened to be complete killing machines. It was during training one day; so Kao Ba said, that he uttered a cry of pain and was banished from the sect. He then fled from Zi Tong south. Kao Ba showed his skills when he valiantly tried to save Pang Tong using two sai, farming tools, but deadly in Kao Ba's hands. Kao Ba fought until an arrow hit him square in the chest.

Liu Bei's men dragged him from the field, and since then Liu Bei promoted him to be his bodygaurd. He was lucky enough that the arrow missed Kao Ba's heart.

Liu Bei turned back at him now, inspecting his bodyguard following beside him on another horse. They rode at a leisurely pace. The shallow water beneath them gave a refreshing feel to the atmosphere around them. Liu Bei brightened, "It is a nice day is it not?"

"I suppose." Came the noncommittal response from Kao Ba, whom did not seem stirred to a conversation.

Liu Bei waited, silence was usually Kao Ba's method of communication. Coincidentally he said very little.

"Yes well, it is hard to talk when you know there is a terrible siege ongoing. There is a part of me that wishes that Liu Zhang is properly fed and that he does not go hungry for he is still my kinsman; yet there is also a part of me that wishes that I can dive a knife deep into him and be done with it."

"That is a deep confession." Kao Ba said, this caught Liu Bei off guard.

"Ah, you were listening. Well, ninety percent of my time is spent on building my image. Am I ready to be known to China as the 'Kinslayer'? Ironic, it is, that the people so fervently follow me, and yet my situation does not paint me in a good light."

"I would focus on the task at hand." Kao Ba said, his voice never changing.

"That is good advice. What exactly is the task at hand Kao Ba?"

"Catch Zhang Ren. And if you do not wish to hurt your Kinsmen, destroy his heart and make him surrender."

Liu Bei sighed, "Zhang Ren is a man that I envy, I can only hope to have half his resolve."

"There are many people who believe that you do. As long as you lead them to believe that, you'll be victorious. Fa Zheng saw that I think. But then again, Fa Zheng sees many things I do not see."

Fa Zheng was Liu Bei's hope in order to fight Zhang Ren. The unconventional tactics in Zhang Ren's campaign were wearing most of Shu's supply lines thing. Liu Bei was taking a risk even being in this ravine. Fa Zheng was with them today, so Liu Bei did not think about the danger. Even so, Liu Bei was accustomed to being in the heat of battle. Fa Zheng did not ride with Liu Bei, he was either somewhere in the front of the convoy or in the rear. Liu Bei did not know or keep track of him, for there was no air of threat in the air, nor tension.

That all changed when there was an audible twang of a bow, coming from within the forest above the ravine. Suddenly a soldier on foot in front of Liu Bei fell, an arrow in his neck.

"Ambush!", "Its an ambush!", "Protect Lord Liu Bei!" The soldiers of the convoy started to yell at once. Liu Bei looked around, taking in the situation. From both sides of the ravine arrows started to rain down upon the convoy, soldiers clad in make-shift camouflage began to descend upon them with ferocious attacks.

"Kao Ba!" Liu Bei called, looking behind him.

The bodyguard was already half-way off his horse when he said back: "Dismount!" Liu Bei understood why, he was too much of a target, there was a better chance on foot. No matter, Liu Bei was a competent fighter either way. His dual swords clung to his sides. He was hoping not to use it but then there were heavy footsteps from the forest and Liu Bei heard them among the comotion. Then he realized that there was a someone charging at him, not yelling a war cry, a soldier with his sword held above him.

He looked ridiculous, there were branches in his hair, and mud splattered across his face. The soldier was young though, and lacked experience. Liu Bei sidestepped the slash and punched the man in the gut. He doubled over and Liu Bei preformed a roundhouse kick on the boy, sending him sprawling in the shallow water.

There appeared to be a ring-leader among the ambushers. Suddenly he spotted Liu Bei. "There's Xuande!" He was in his thirties, and carried an oak bow. There was also mud on his face, and leaves stuck to his leather armor, using mud as a make-shift adhesive.

The newcomer let loose an arrow and it singed the air beside Liu Bei's head. Liu Bei had the mind to duck behind a nearby wagon. Another arrow flew past him. Then there was a hand that stuck out from underneath the darkness of the covered wagon. It was Lao Zhi, Liu Bei's old poet friend. He was sitting in the darkened wagon, sipping tea, and had handed Liu Bei the wicker top to a basket.

"This'll do." Liu Bei said.

Liu Bei vaulted forward from the cover of the wagon, the ringleader knocked another arrow and let it loose, without realizing the new-found barrier Liu Bei had come across. Liu Bei used the wicker top skillfully, catching the first arrow without harm.

Liu Bei's opponent grew angry at this, and he let loose three arrows in succession incredibly fast. Liu Bei ran forward, dodging the first, and blocking the next two. Then he was close enough to tackle the man. A wrestling match broke out in the water, and Liu Bei struggled with his opponent. They threw each other around, landing on hard rocks hidden underneath the water. Liu Bei drew his sword and the other man reached for his bow. He didn't have enough time to grab an arrow so he deflected Liu Bei's attacks with his bow.

They were then in a deadlock, and Liu Bei said: "You're skilled for someone so young, who are you?"

"Haha!" The man laughed confidently, "And I have underestimated you Xuande! Everyone talks about a politician and they do not mention the man who fought Lu Bu at Hulao!"

Liu Bei chuckled, "Ah yes, that story, well you'll be disappointed to find out that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did most of the fighting!"

The man's smile was still ravage, he wanted to kill Liu Bei, but this banter was pleasing him, so he went on: "I am Yan Fei! Nephew of Yan Yan, and chief deputy of Zhang Ren-!"

Liu Bei laid a quick punch on Yan Fei's face as he was talking.

"Why you-!" Yan Fei stepped back, bow falling to the ground and hands going to his face.

He followed it up with another punch to his gut, and then a headbutt that broke Yan Fei's nose. Liu Bei finished by bringing his leg around the back of Yan Fei's, and tripped him by sweeping him off his feet, landing hard on his back in the shallow water.

Liu Bei crouched down beside Yan Fei, smiling like a happy uncle: "Still have a few things to learn."

[Fa Zheng]

Fa Zheng was indeed somewhere to the front or rear of the convoy, and this first wave of ambush was almost entirely expected. However, Fa Zheng was not going to let his greatest tactical asset be used up at this second, which was two groups of swordsmen who silently ran alongside either side of the ravine, lead by Fa Zheng's two closest captains, men who were chosen specifically for their ability to survive.

The special forces of Shu. Sure, they couldn't win a war, but an ambush against an ambush would be wonderful. Not mention all the surprises that Fa Zheng still had up his sleeve.

He worked his way towards Liu Bei, killing a few men along the way. They were not anything difficult, mere peasants with weapons in hand, but Fa Zheng slew them anyways. No enemy would stand in his way, and his way was the only way that mattered. He made it to the first wagon to check on his surprise. The contents were intact, and the four guardsmen were all alive. Fa Zheng nodded to them, and continued on.

He checked each of the wagons to make sure their contents were safe. All were accounted for, even as men died around them. He was a little ways from Liu Bei's position when he slew a spearmen who had slid down the side of the ravine to join the fray. Zhang picked up the spear from the dead man, and rode hard towards Liu Bei, whom he saw tussling with someone, witty banter on their lips.

Though Fa Zheng had pledged himself to Liu Bei, he would never understand the man's naivete on the battlefield. He rode up hard, and watched as Liu Bei knocked the man onto the ground, and crouched over him, almost as if they were friends. Fa Zheng's spear lashed out and embedded itself firmly into the man's throat, his hands flying up at the sudden impact, his eyes bulging as he choked out a final curse before he died, the trauma and spear blade severing his spine and ending his life. His arms fell to his side with a thunk.

"Lord Liu Bei, you must get to the back wagon. The reserve cavalry will be here in 15 minutes, and they will overtake us and gather us as we continue on the way. We must hold out, and your life is most important.

I didn't pledge myself to a fool. Continue acting with such disregard on the battlefield and the next enemy will put a knife in you."

[Zhang Ren]

The commotion could already be heard from Zhang Ren's position, and he smiled, knowing that his first plan of action had succeeded. It was merely designed as a way to goad Liu Bei out into the open. The men who initially attacked, were stragglers captured from Liu Bei's own forces from previous ambushes. They were men of Shu, and could easily be persuaded to return to Liu Zhang's forces, especially with the careful propaganda planned by Ren. He did not trust them, but they served their purpose well in this endeavor. All of them were going to die either way; traitors to their liege lord twice. One particular fellow was even convinced that he was the nephew of Yan Yan, and chief deputy of Zhang Ren. It was a lie of course, as most people knew Yan Yan had no surviving siblings who had children. A foolish thing really, but it would give an air of overconfidence, for the man was an absolute imbecile and other than his fervour and motivation, he was utterly useless for anything. If he was captured or killed, it would be all part of the greater plan.

With the distraction set, Zhang Ren had his outriders patrolling the ridges of the ravine. Men with keen eyes, and fierce hearts. They were given leave to perform any sort of duties that needed to be done in an ad hoc manner, and Ren trusted them completely. The advantage was his in this regards, when he received word of groups of footmen traversing the ravine on either side of the convoy, through means of a hawk bearing a message. The side of a hill is surely not a good place for infantry to fight cavalry.

Nodding to indicate that what he had planned prior to this engagement was to be carried out, his forces dispersed into six groups; save his own personal group, like a wing. Zhang Ren lead the centre, and trusted captains who had served with him for years lead the wings. Two spread out and rode ahead, with the intent to attack the flanks of the entire convoy and guarding infantry, and, two would ride past the entire column and come up from the rear. Finally the outriders would cover from behind, to prevent any rear guard cavalry; as there always was, from rushing to the convoy's aid. It was a complete surround, and with the way things seemed to appear, it would go very well. Although at this point in time, Zhang Ren did not know who was actually in the convoy, as he figured it was simply a regular supply train to reinforce the siege of Cheng Du.

Once all the riders were in position, they quickly charged forward, and clamoring on gongs; the traditional signal for withdrawing. This was intended to cause confusion in the enemy ranks. Whatever was thought; either the enemy was retreating, or their own forces were sounding it, it generally seemed to work, as it played upon the training of veterans. Though Zhang Ren would alternate this tactic, just so any who managed to escape; as he always let some, could tell about it, but could never properly prepare for it.

As soon as Ren spurred his courser forward, he set his spear out before him, and thrust towards the torso of the first soldier he came across. His horse was fast, and he caught the man off-guard, and so as he continued on he pushed his spear forward, dragging the man along behind him for a short distance before he freed the weapon. Then placing the butt of the spear in a special cup on the saddle, he quickly drew his dao from its sheath, being that this was a place for close combat measures. He and his men rode further along, killing or wounding whomever they came across, as they pushed further and further through the convoy. The attack was going well from all fronts as well, and soon the nice column was slowly being pushed into a sort of jostling morass of soldiers and supply workers. Things were all going according to plan...

[Liu Bei]

Liu Bei was startled slightly when a spear impaled Yan Fei below him. He looked up to see the composed Fa Zheng on his horse, looking mindful as ever. No doubt Fa Zheng was already many steps ahead in his minds eye, laying out possible paths for how the next ten minutes would pan out.

"Do not worry yourself with my conduct Fa Zheng; I was in perfect control of that combat. Besides, leave some alive, wasn't that the plan? When Zhang Ren's minions report back to him that I am here Zhang Ren will reveal himself in force. If my audacity brings him forth so be it."

There was the clearly audible sounds of horses from above the ravine. They were too close to be of his forces."If he is already here; so be it." Liu Bei corrected himself. Liu Bei suddenly then thought of something and patted down Yan Fei's dead body and revealed a small purse with some documents.

"A map, and some orders, Zhang Ren's signature." Liu Bei announced. "Wait a minute-" He realized suddenly, "This doesn't make sense--these are obviously fake."

Liu Bei bent down and wiped some of the mud off of the dead man's torso, an insignia showed up. These were not Liu Zhang's soldiers; they were Liu Bei's. "Fa Zheng these men are decoys, this man was at Loucheng, he fought for us! Zhang Ren must've convinced him to defect..."

It was then that Liu Bei realized something else: "You probably already figured that out." He reached for the man's bow and quiver; he was obviously not Yan Fei; Yan Fei probably never existed in the first place, for Liu Bei had never heard of any nephews from that brave general.

"I suspect the actual attack is forthcoming, if that is so then not even the rear is safe; I suggest we stick together." Liu Bei sheathed his sword and let loose a few arrows into some of the still-oncoming defectors. There were a circle of men now around them, some on horses, some archers hiding behind a few wagons, and sporadic melees were still breaking out across the entire column.

Liu Bei took off his outlying robe, allowing him to move more freely. Kao Ba appeared once again on his horse, apparently he had deemed it safe to remount since most of the initial arrows had subsided, Liu Bei's horse was with him as well. "Lord Liu Bei, we must go!"

There were then loud sounds of gongs being sung. The traditional sound of retreat; but for which force? For a few moments the melees stopped as both forces looked about but then horsemen appeared from all flanks and then the melee was more ferocious than ever.

Liu Bei pondered for a mere second.

"Perhaps you are right after all Kao Ba."

Liu Bei mounted his horse and let loose some more arrows: "Zhang Ren is here, and he has the overwhelming advantage. Fa Zheng... you know what to do."

"Ride Hex Mark, ride!"

[Fa Zheng]

Fa Zheng sighed heavily as his lord stumbled through the facts of the battle. Zhang Ren was no slacker, and he was not one to use anyone not useful to him. Zheng had noticed the men were somewhat hesitant to fight the Shu men, considering that the convoy was not instantly obliterated by the initial volleys; no one would purposefully miss unless they had a reason to.

Soon, however, gongs began to ring, and Kao Ba returned to guard Liu Bei. Fa Zheng nodded, and watched as Bei and Ba rode off, hopefully back towards the way they came, as they'd meet with Guan Shao and the cavalry regiment that was due through this area.

Fa Zheng rode forward towards the front of the defensive circle around the middle of the convoy. He jumped from his horse onto the top of the wagon, and grabbed the bow behind the seat. He pulled the special arrow, which had a self lighting arrow on it (Piece of flint that when struck causes a spark that lights some soaked hay tied to the tip). He aimed it towards the farthest wagon, which was being scurried over by Zhang Ren's men.

And he saw Zhang Ren by the second wagon already. Shit.

He let loose the first arrow and immediately had the second one. Two other archers with the same equipment began raining arrows towards the wagons.

Fa Zheng's first arrow hit home truly, and the wagon exploded, wooden shrapnel rocketing outward. He had stockpiled fishoil and other combustibles in all of the wagons, for no reason other than to use them as traps. The 2nd wagon exploded soon after, creating a dead zone around it.

However, Zhang Ren had already made it towards the outer ring of the defensive circle. Shit shit shit.

[Zhang Ren]

"Leave the wagons! Liu Bei's men are already doing our work for us!" shouted Zhang Ren, as soon as second wagon exploded. He looked where the arrow had come from, and noticed a man who he recognized. Another native of Ba Shu, one who at least could be said to be "loyal", if you were using a loose definition of the word. Not like those other men Ren had used. Contemptible the lot of them, but at least they proved useful in this regards.

Quickly Zhang Ren urged his steed on towards the man, reaching down and grabbing a spear that was embedded upright into the ground as he rode past it.. It had a decent weight and although likely not balanced for throwing, he hefted it up above his shoulder, and as he rode forward he threw it at the man with the bow on the wagon. It was a good throw, especially for a weapon not designed for throwing, and Ren knew it would not hit cleanly or squarely. He could only hope that it hit at all and injured the man.

Ren however soon knew who the individual was; Fa Zheng. He didn't sound it out though, as that would have spread too quickly throughout the area and he could escape that much easier. He spurred his horse faster in order to try and break through the defensive circle to get to him, but it was too dense for a lone man to do so. As he circled around it hacking away and unexposed necks of soldiers from Liu Bei's forces, he shouted to his bow riders, and pointing to Fa Zheng, "Shoot that man!" But it was too late. He had already gotten down from the wagon, and was in among the circle. Ren then wheeled his horse around and formed up with a group of 10 of his riders and when he removed his spear from its cup and sheathed his dao, they knew what to do. They quickly spurred their horses forward in a diamond formation, allowing them to quickly and easily wheel and turn direction as needed. Thankfully the section they chose to break through did not have any spears or pikes there, likely due to the confusion, and so they quickly burst through with the full weight of a charge. The defensive formation was being broken apart, and now there was a gap for individual riders to get through and cause havoc in the enemy ranks.

Zhang Ren while at the front of this formation, kept up his situational awareness, he was ever alert for looking for Fa Zheng. If he was here, then the convoy was more important than it normally was. Killing or capturing Xiaozhi here would be a big blow to Liu Bei's forces; two advisors would be dead. Sure Liu Bei had Kongming, but if two could go down, a third could too. However, it seemed that the wind of fortune did not blow so favourably to Zhang Ren, despite this current success today. Fa Zheng had already made himself unknown, and so Zhang Ren continued to simply mop up the rest of the soldiers who were here attempting to defend what was left of their convoy. If Fa Zheng did make it out, though, Zhang Ren hoped that he would run into either Yang Zhi or Lu Zhishen, each commanding two separate groups of outriders.

[Liu Bei]

"Ride Hex Mark, ride!"

Liu Bei spurred on his faithful horse while wagons began to explode in the column. Kao Ba stayed close behind him but Hex Mark began to show her speed. The charge from Zhang Ren's horsemen cut down the unprepared, but a ferocious melee was underway across the scene.

It was chaotic, but Liu Bei charged on, a rider came upon him with a spear. He was one of Zhang Ren's, a grizzled Zhang Lu war veteran. He thrust with his polearm at Xuande, who was riding for his life, "Die!" was all the soldier said, he was determined to kill Liu Bei, but Liu Bei was also determined to stay alive.

With his left hand Liu Bei grabbed the shaft of the spear and pulled with all his might, and with his right he swiftly unsheathed one of his swords and brought it down on the attacker's arm. It sliced through like warm butter. Blood spurt out from his grotesque wound and the man broke off the engagement screaming and cursing.

Liu Bei heaved the spear he had obtained high above his head and aimed it at another oncoming rider. He didn't have the accuracy with such a make-shift javelin to hit the person; he just had to hit the horse itself. He loathed this necessary action but he did it nonetheless. The spear impaled itself in the horse and the once majestic creature died almost immediately as it fell to the ground, propelling its rider through the air and landing hard on some rocks nearby.

They weren't done yet though. Liu Bei and Kao Ba had reached the end of the column and yet it seemed even the melee had reached here. Riders had engaged the rear of the column, and their sudden attack seemed to have gotten the best of the rearguard defenders. As Liu Bei and Kao Ba sped past the last wagon a group of fifteen to twenty of Zhang Ren's riders broke off in pursuit once they saw that it was Xuande who was fleeing.

Liu Bei had sheathed his sword and redrawn his bow that he had took from the dead body of the man who thought he was Zhang Ren's deputy. He knocked an arrow and let it fly, in this scenario he was incredibly lucky to have had horse archery training as the youthful friend of Gongsun Zan--the master of horses himself. The first arrow found its mark in one of the pursuer's neck. But after his first shot, the riders found themselves deeper into dense forest, the ravine had for the most part, ended. Trees and their high speed made it increasingly difficult to find a mark.

To try to shake the riders off their trail, Liu Bei and Kao Ba changed their direction multiple times, they even jumped over a few fast-moving creeks, forcing some of the more heavily armored of Zhang Ren's riders to find the shallow part of the water.

"It's no use! We'll both die like this!" Kao Ba said as he drew his sword, "I'll lead them off, ride like the wind and don't turn back!"

Before he knew it Kao Ba turned his horse in the opposite direction.

"Kao Ba, wait!"

But Kao Ba was already outside of earshot when Zhang Ren's riders were coming down upon them. They yelled amongst themselves, apparently they have decided to split up to chase Kao Ba and Liu Bei each.

At least that gave them better chances.

He was out of options, he had to ride again, the last Liu Bei saw of Kao Ba was his bodyguard engaging in sword-to-sword fighting with the riders who came up to the side of him. It wasn't long until Liu Bei had to move or be overtaken however, and he spurred Hex Mark onward.

Perhaps it was a sign of fatigue, or maybe the few moments of pause he took but as he rounded a tree one of Zhang Ren's riders suddenly was upon him with his sword, slashing and drawing nearer. Liu Bei acted instantly, though the appearance of this rider had startled him. It forced his body to release much-needed adrenaline.

It seemed like thirty seconds, and now there were three of Zhang Ren's riders coming near him. They all had swords. Liu Bei loosed an arrow into one of the shoulders of the riders, for that was the best he could do under the conditions, and then drew both of his Swords of Fate.

They came at him all at once, and did not give Liu Bei a reprieve. With one hand he held off the attacker to his left, with another hand he fought the attacker to his right. It was a true test of his swordsmanship and endurance. The dense forest gave him cover only at a few moments, when a close tree forced some of the attackers to fall back.

"Don't give up on me yet, Dilu!" Liu Bei yelled to his horse, "Don't give up on me yet dammit!"

There was another raging creek and Hex Mark took a giant leap. The riders pursued in earnest and jumped as well, almost in identical timing. With incredible luck and skill, this gave Liu Bei an opening and with one hand he sliced the rider to his right in half with his sword in mid air. The other rider to his left had jumped too high, so Liu Bei's sword had only reached the man's horse. It was still a good target.

As Liu Bei landed, the two riders who had been so close to him were either dead or dying. They were almost immediately replaced by some of the other riders who had chosen to pursue Liu Bei instead of Kao Ba. It had seemed that their numbers had increased, as if Liu Bei's efforts were in vain--the riders were hiding amongst the trees already ready to ambush a fleeing Liu Bei.

Was this the end? Would no one be able to save him?

[Fa Zheng]

Thankfully for the Shu troops, Fa Zheng was a tactical genius. His men travelling alongside the ravine had stayed out of the fight, waiting out Zhang Ren and his riders, scurrying up trees and knocking bows to prepare the glorious retreat that Fa Zheng would signal.

Except Fa Zheng was nowhere to be found.

The screams of men as they died mixed in with the chorus of battle, a cacophony that caused Zheng's ears to ring. He was underneath an overturned wagon, one of the few not obliterated in the explosive attacks. He saw a riderless horse that was running in circles, but he could also see Zhang Ren, no more than 100 feet to the right of the horse. His timing would have to be perfect.

Or, he'd have to think of something else.

Unfortunately, he had the chance to see Liu Bei ride off, so he knew that his lord was in trouble. That man couldn't walk 10 steps without someone wanting to lop his honorable head off. It was enough to drive a tactician insane. If only the man would listen to the advice he gave. Praise from Zhuge Liang meant nothing when it was squandered.

Zheng looked around at what he had in front of him; a broken spear, just the top half remaining, his jian, and the clothes on his back. The wagon had held men, not supplies, and was probably one of the few reasons why the ambush hadn't been a total success for Ren; he had brought more men than was needed, but still not enough to overwhelm them.

Zheng gulped hard and then grabbed the two make shift weapons. He saw a bow on the ground, and briefly considered using the spear as an arrow. Foolish, it was too heavy.

He let out a breath, and then launched himself forward, covering the first few feet quickly. He continued the dead sprint, his lungs already burning from the previous exertions of battle. He kept Ren to his right, and threw himself at the pacing horse, latching onto the horse's left flank, punching it hard in the ribs to send it running into the forest, sort of in the direction of Liu Bei.

Hopefully, Ren hadn't seen him. If he did, well, that was just another problem to deal with.

He waited only a few seconds before righting himself into the saddle, focused now on riding hard through the forest to catch up to his lord. Immediately he was set upon by a few pursuers, but they fell from arrow bolts from on high. Zheng had but a moment to look up and see some of his men, who saluted and then scattered amongst the higher branches, not allowing the enemy to pinpoint where the arrows were coming from.

Zheng rode and rode, following the corpses, until he finally saw his lord jump a river in the distance. He was beset by three riders, and they all died in time, two being killed in a wonderfully fabulous move by Bei.

Zheng slowed his horse and whistled, and the trees above him burst with men, 20-30 all dropping down to low branches.

"10 of you continue to hold this retreat line. The rest of you, cut west, and prepare to intercept bogies. I'm going to go fetch our lord."

Zheng sighed heavily. He was a glorified babysitter was all he was.

He rode fast, and threw the shortened spear as he caught up with the riders, his horse's eyes lolling in its head and its body covered with a sheen of lather. The spear embedded into the rider, his body slumping off the horse as it peeled off into the forest.

He came upon the other two, taking the one on Bei's left, the man unaware of being pursued himself. The sword drove into his spine as he cried out in anguish. Zheng let the Jian go, his only sword, as the man's body also fell from his horse. Zheng watched briefly as Bei dispatched the last rider. Zheng pulled alongside Bei and grabbed Hex Mark's reigns, pulling it back and causing Bei to hold.

"Are you fucking nuts?! Are you trying to give yourself to Liu Zhang?

We need to leave, my lord. You're riding directly towards Cheng Du. We need to go the other way, and quickly.

Come, my men are guarding us from on high. Our horses won't last much longer and we need to put distance between ourselves and Ren. He's beaten us here. We mustn't dawdle."

He didn't wait to see if Bei was going to listen to him. He didn't wait to hear Bei's protestations about leaving people behind. He tied the reigns of Hex Mark to his saddle and took off, heading the opposite direction. Men came at him, but many died before they were even close enough, arrows piercing them from every direction.

However, one broke through, and came charging, his spear leveled at Zheng menacingly. Having no weapon, Zheng was at a disadvantage. He breathed, even as time seemed to slow around him. He masterfully twisted in his saddle as the man roared by, his hand striking outwards like a viper, impacting on the man's neck. Immediately his eyes rolled back into his head and he was unconscious, falling from his horse, the spear flying into the air with his momentum. Zheng grabbed it, and charged forward.

[Zhao Yun]

Enter the Dragon

Smoke was rising high in the sky as the sounds of metal colliding rang out through the ravine. The Shu army lay strewn over the landscape and their wagons burned. The ground that was once green was now crimson and it seemed Zhang Ren's reputation was well earned. He had forced back Fa Zheng, one of Shu's best strategists, and almost killed its leader, Liu Bei. Not only that, a day earlier he had thwarted Zhao Yun by stalling him; leaving Shu's leader open to attack.

Liu Bei and Fa Zheng pushed their beasts to the limit trying to escape an untimely death at the hands of Zhang Ren's horsemen. Zheng's men that were hidden had done their best to thin out the enemy riders, but more kept coming. It was not known where Zhang Ren was, but that mattered little considering the situation. Five enemies were bearing down on them from behind, slicing and stabbing desperately for the kill. It was at that point that they heard a voice call out.

"Xuande!"

It was Zhao Yun. The explosions and pillars of smoke had led him to the battle. He wasted no time waving on his cavalry to intercept Zhang Ren's men. Yun himself rode forth and annihilated an enemy in one pass.

"My lord, Fa Zheng, fall back to safety! I will hold back the enemy and try to save the remaining soldiers!"

Zhao Yun turned to face more enemy soldiers that had crossed the creek. He had Shu riders with him and infantry arriving momentarily. Zhang Ren's men were not aware that he had arrived and they wondered who the warrior in white was. Oh, they would know.

"Soldiers of Zhang Ren! If you value your lives then flee for you now face Zhao Yun!"

The enemies that knew of him almost shit in their pants. The others would soon know of him, if they lived to tell the tale.

[Zhang Ren]

Things were initially going well for Zhang Ren and his company of soldiers. The enemy had begun to cluster together, or disperse into small groups that were easily taken out. Though there was some trouble in regards to soldiers who had managed to climb up into trees. How they had done that without the outriders and flanking cavalry noticing, was something entirely else, but regardless they were sneaky and some of them likely used the initial confusion to get out of sight. They were initially causing some problems with their arrows, however Zhang Qing, Zhang Ren's younger brother, who had the nickname "flightless arrow" for his skill at throwing stones with such skill and speed that they were like arrows.

Taking the initiative, Zhang Qing rode forward and grasping a fist sized stone shaped like an from the pouch that hung from his saddle horn, he hurled it with all of his might at one of the men up in the tree. Due to the weight and nature of such a stone, it was not really hindered by the forest cover, and it soon hit it's mark, square in the chest of the man, crushing his armour and ribs and knocking him out of the tree. Qing took out another stone and repeated the process, again and again, hitting soldiers who were hiding in the trees. While it gave them good vantage points, it also made them considerably easier for Zhang Qing to hit with his stones, that he felt like he was doing target practice back at the camp. As he continued this though, he heard something from far off in a distance. A mighty shout by the renowned hero Zhao Yun. Knowing better than to charge off alone, Zhang Qing formed up alongside his elder brother, who was still bringing the fight to the enemy.

In this time, Zhang Ren had personally killed and wounded many troops of Liu Bei's forces. Though he still did not know the reason why Fa Zheng was here. He was wily as ever though, hiding troops in wagons and alongside the ravine, but still they all died just the same. He realized the havoc that was caused, and his men were beginning to get separated, so with the whistle that he carried around his neck, he blew on it and a sharp loud noise rang out amongst the fighting. All standard troops who were engaged quickly finished off their fighting, and reformed the line behind Zhang Ren. His captains and sergeants and some of his outriders; Zhang Qing and Li Jun specifically were also within the melee. They had heard the whistle as well, and formed up along the line. From there, they let the enemy begin to retreat, as a new threat with fresh troops had shown up; Zhao Yun.

Zhang Ren knew better than to mess with him, but yet something compelled him to move forward. He was not afraid of the enemy general, but Zilong's heroism was known all over the land, and it would be a great setback for Zhang Ren and his men if some fluke accident were to happen. Still, at this point he had the numbers, and could overwhelm him if need be, not to mention his previous ploy to lure out Zhao Yun had worked, and he gained valuable time. The enemy general was likely not happy to be deceived. Ren could use that to his advantage.

Now however, Zhang Ren realized the significance of the convoy. It was not some simple transport, for the fact that Fa Zheng would not have been in it personally, nor would Zhao Yun have come to the rescue so soon. Now Ren knew that Liu Bei was here. But if so... Where was he? He nodded to Li Jun, who pressed his horn to his lips and blew three blasts, so that the others; Yang Zhi, Lu Zhishen, Liu Tang, Li Kui, Qin Ming, Shi En, Sun Li, and Wu Song could all make their presence known. If Liu Bei was to be killed or captured, one of these men would be able to do it. For now though, more pressing matters concerned Zhang Ren. He knew he had to face Zhao Yun, or risk him rushing to Liu Bei's aid.

So signaling to advance with his spear, him and his men cantered forward. and Zhang Ren called out to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, your presence has been made known to all! Will you sit there and offer idle threats to my men, or will you back up your actions and fight me?"

[Liu Bei]

It all happened so incredibly swiftly. Suddenly around him the riders dropped one by one and in quick succession. Then Liu Bei suddenly realized that Fa Zheng's plans had just now come into play. Fa Zheng had, amazingly, dashed into the woods and had somehow managed to catch with Liu Bei. Which in itself is a miracle because Hex Mark was a great horse with tremendous speed.

"Why are you here Zheng!?" Liu Bei had questioned reasonably, why was Fa Zheng here? Wasn't he supposed to be counter-ambushing Zhang Ren? Was that not the entire substance of his plan? Was today not the day that Fa Zheng was supposed to capture Zhang Ren and end the war.

"Are you fucking nuts?! Are you trying to give yourself to Liu Zhang?" Fa Zheng had said, scolding his lord.

Liu Bei did not appreciate this, and he certainly did not appreciate Hex Mark's reigns being tied to Fa Zheng's own. As if he would be led around like a three-year old. What respect did Liu Bei command from Fa Zheng, if any at all? Liu Bei did not take this lightly, he snapped. His temper came loose, much like at Changban when Liu Bei had smacked Zilong across the face for failing to save his wife, only his son Shan.

"You imbecile! The last wagon was overrun with his riders, you sent me straight into a trap! And now you've abandoned the column for what? I agreed to fill those wagons with every ploy and trap you asked for and it was all for naught!"

Liu Bei whipped out his sword and cut loose the tie to Fa Zheng's horse. How stupid Liu Bei must have looked. Sprawling in the forest surrounded by Zhang Ren's riders, fighting for his life. He had trusted Fa Zheng's precautions but they fell at the very seams under the first pressure of Zhang Ren!

"And now, my bodyguard is out there fighting for his life because your plans didn't exactly pan out as they were supposed to!" Kao Ba did what he had to do under the circumstances, and now he was most likely dead because Fa Zheng's rather delayed archer ambush. There was no use going after him. It would endanger Liu Bei; it would endanger the mission.

Then, as expected, Liu Bei's reinforcements arrived. He had been dependent on these rearguard troops, he had been riding in their direction. He had even been expecting to be rescued by them--not Fa Zheng, whom had abandoned his post to chase after Liu Bei.

Liu Bei may have been appreciative that Fa Zheng had literally saved his life. But as it turned out; Fa Zheng was a total dick.

Thank the heavens it was Zilong. They could salvage this terrible engagement.

"Zilong! You are to work with Fa Zheng and counter-attack! Capture Zhang Ren today or don't bother showing your face to me again!" Liu Bei was of course, being famously melodramatic, but he was angry, and there was a part of him that meant it.

"I'll take an escort with me and retreat to Cheng Du were I can be safe with Zhang Fei." It was the exact opposite of what Fa Zheng had said, but at this point Liu Bei could give two shits about what Fa Zheng said. He would go and seek the safety of his brother, his wife, and Kongming instead of running around in the woods to probably fall into another ambush.

Liu Bei whistled and twirled his finger in a circle motion above his head. About fifty riders broke off from Zilong's reinforcements and accompanied Liu Bei on his escape path.

[Fa Zheng]

Fa Zheng took the verbal explosion with a placid face, his demeanor unshifted as his lord raged against him and his attempts to save his life. He casually rubbed at the stubble around his chin as the man continue to yell about how he was going to return to Cheng Du to be with Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang.

"Fine."

Fa Zheng let go of his lord's reigns, unnecessary for him to cut them. Zheng looked towards Zilong and the two sped off, towards where the enemy formation was stacking up.

Zheng was disappointed to find a lot of his men had taken rock hits to the chest. Fortunately, a rock the size of a fist really isn't that large, nor could it be thrown, upwards, with enough force to crush wooden armor. He had taken casualties, mostly from men caught off guards who had fallen from the trees and broken their stupid necks, but otherwise the tree archers were just as able to duck behind the trees for cover as anyone would expect them to be.

Zheng and Zilong arrived not long before Ren issued his challenge. Zheng smiled at Zilong and motioned for him to of course take the lead in this regards. Zheng did not really care for anyone in Shu, at least not yet. They were just other generals, men to be used as pawns.

"Zilong, Liu Bei thinks we can capture Zhang Ren. Whatever I told him before this foolish plan has obviously fallen on deaf ears. Our only hope now is that Zhang Fei for whatever reason decides to come from Cheng Du and catch Ren in the pincer. Not even my tactical genius can send messages by just thought.

Though, I guess we could hope he also saw the smoke, like you."

[Zhao Yun]

Showdown

MUSIC

Zhao Yun bowed to his lord after being issued orders. His task was to defeat Zhang Ren with the assistance of Fa Zheng. Yun was not aware of what had happened to make Liu Bei so angry at Zheng, but he could feel the tension. From what he could see, when arriving, Zheng looked to have saved the Shu leader's life. However, all Yun cared about was Bei's safety and it seemed, as the leader rode away south towards Cheng Du, that the rescue was a success.

Zhao Yun hoped that Fa Zheng was correct and another Shu officer would arrive to pincer, but he thought it unlikely. He nodded to the strategist, who had just gestured to handle the 'negotiations', and then he turned his attention to Zhang Ren's formation which had just reached the creek. Yun's infantry had arrived, after catching up to the cavalry, and he ordered archers to check Ren's movement. The arrows flew through the air and then embedded in the ground a few feet from the enemy position.

Zhang Ren's army halted, but it was not out of fear. They were building slowly like a volcano before exploding. As the minutes passed, with both armies staring the other down, more and more of his soldiers appeared. Not only that, there was a myriad of officers with him as well. Zhao Yun now knew that he was outnumbered, but he still held his ground. It was then that he heard an unfamiliar voice call out to him.

Zhao Yun scanned the enemy front and noticed it parting in the center. A lone rider came forth adorned in finely crafted armor. He posessed an aura of strength and it seemed to spread to his men who showed no fear now that he was present. The warrior commanded respect and it was shown by perfectly formed lines across his army. Without him having to say another word, Yun knew it was Zhang Ren.

Zhao Yun was utterly impressed. Ren had tricked him with a ruse on the previous day, he had forced back Liu Bei and Fa Zheng, and then openly challenged Yun when he had the superior numbers. Any lesser man, seeing he had the advantage would have simply attacked. It also showed intelligence and a level of respect repaid to Yun that Ren was not foolish enough to recklessly attack one such as him.

Zhao Yun's respect for the man increased ten fold and he called out to him.

"Zhang Ren, I presume? It is an honor to finally meet you," he said, bowing his head slightly.

"Unfortunately, many of my men perished due to your tricks and then you tried to take my lord's life. Such are offenses that you shall pay the ultimate price for!"

Zhao Yun set his spear and urged his steed forward. Zhang Ren did the same and the two rode hard at one another before striking. Their two weapons connected and sparks blasted out from the collision. All of the birds in the forest took off from the thunderous sound. They exchanged 20 bouts and each time their blades crossed a wave of power radiated outwards. Ren's men could see ripples in the water after every strike.

Neither warrior could gain the advantage so they disengaged and circled one another. From each army came chants for their respective leader. However, both sides quickly quieted down when the two rode forward again to attack. They exchanged another 20 bouts and the mood of excitement, among the soldiers, slowly turned to one of concern. How long could they fight? Eventually, one man would be dead.

Zhang Ren thrusted his weapon and Zhao Yun parried. Yun then thrusted his spear, but Ren grabbed onto the shaft. They fought over the spear and both men were unhorsed. They crashed down into the water of the creek and both armies shuttered for a moment. Then, evil eyes were cast across the battlefield as the soldiers were itching for the time to attack.

Both generals got to their feet and were soaked. Their horses moved out of the water and trotted away with each other to safety.

The scene was set for a showdown. In the darkened forest of northern Cheng Du, in the middle of a creek, two famed warriors squared off to the death.