258 BCE
A few more weeks of leisure came and went for the Sei Chou army before they were once again marching for war. The now general Sei Chou spent the majority of his time training with his spearmanship, alongside Den Pou and the spears, all under the watchful eye of Gyou'un.
The next target for the Sei Chou army was Wei. As Sei Chou, Chou Garyuu and Gypu'un had predicted, the Zhao King wanted to push into Wei. The State of Wei were relatively unscathed, unlike Qin and Zhao, only focusing on taking more land from Han and Qi. Being one of the two most central states in the Central Plains, Wei also generated a lot of money through trade.
There was also a little rumour that the King of Wei, though old and nearing his deathbed, was also rallying to prepare an invasion of Zhao. Sei Chou didn't know if that rumour had anything to do with the invasion, but he certainly did not dismiss it. The Wei were a strong, fearsome Kingdom, far from what was shown in the initial stages of the Kingdom manga.
With the recent news that Shi Ei, the son of Earl Shi soon to become the Seventh Wei Fire Dragon, a picture started to be painted. One that showed the ambition of King Anxi of Wei, the old King also looked to the grand goal of unification, like most of the Kings in the Seven Warring States.
It was understood amongst Sei Chou's retinue that should Wei be allowed to strengthen further, then they could possibly overtake Zhao in terms of military might. Becoming the third most powerful state, the Zhao King could not allow that to happen.
Spies and insiders had been rooted out, with the fame from the last war with Yan. More people started to pay attention to Chuuzan and the army that stayed there. The most fearful thing for everyone was the unknown, and having an unknown enemy in the lands of your competitors compelled the other States to try and uncover anything they could.
Only when all the spies had been rooted out did Sei Chou begin his preparations in full. And it coincided with the royal edict from Zhao's royal court. A Supreme Commander was named. The Sei Chou army had wished for the Supreme Commander to be named Sei Chou, but Zhao decided to go with Shin Sei Jou.
An elderly man who worked his way up to finally become a General of Zhao, the man was relatively unremarkable for such an invasion, but the Zhao King placed his trust in him. In turn, a second order came from the Kantan; the messenger had told Sei Chou he was able to command and move at his own discretion.
SEI CHOU POV
As we marched to the rendezvous point, my mind continued to think about the upcoming battle my army was soon going to be taking part in. The army that rallied was 100,000 strong, not the biggest number of troops I had fought alongside, but still a sizable force.
I speculated that the Wei could possibly muster up to or beyond 500,000 soldiers if they decided to go all out and field each of their Six Fire Dragons, but for this campaign, it seemed they only wanted to field around 120,000 troops. The main army led by Supreme Commander Shin Sei Jou was 50,000. The second army under a General named Chou Rai, who added 30,000, and I commanded 20,000 soldiers to round out the number.
From what I remembered about my fellow generals, Shin Sei Jou had only a brief cameo in the Manga in the coalition arc, where he was killed by Bajo of the Yontanwa army. And as for General Chou Rai, he was only on a single panel as a decapitated head that Kyou, who was still in the Ouki army, brought back both his head and another Zhao general's head.
"I guess this war once again rests solely on my shoulders." I knew Zhao was bereft of talent before Ri Boku came into the scene fully, but I didn't quite realise just how bad it was.
Apart from Great Heaven Ren Pa and Great General Ko Chou, there was relatively no one else. Shiba Shou was in Seika defending the Zhao border against incursion from the Xiongnu, Ri Boku was still trying to build a foundation for himself and Gaku Jou, the less said the better at this point.
After reaching the meeting point, which was Kanrin, a city that held fond and solemn memories for me. I met both Shin Sei Jou and Chou Rai; both of them were surprisingly calm-headed people, surprisingly. Shin Sei Jou shared some war stories as a person who had worked his way up to becoming a General of respect. He had seen much and had a lot to talk about.
Soon enough, we planned our steps, we were going to take Ye city but going an unconventional route. Since there was the real possibility of an ambush, each army separated and moved in different directions. I planned with Den Pou and the Jo brothers, and Lady Luck smiled down on me.
Shin Sei Jou, who was named Commander in Chief, ran into trouble; the route he decided to take led him to a head-on clash against Ba Tou of the Wei Fire Dragons. He engaged in battle after being cornered and lost nearly half of his army. The news stalled any progress that we wished to make, and as we all sat in a makeshift camp, the mood was heavy.
"My Lord, since Commander in Chief Shin Sei Jou has been effectively knocked out. Why shouldn't we use this chance of chaos to take over? Alongside the Chou Rai army we would still have roughly 50,000 soldiers. Though Chou Rai doesn't have any commanders that are notable, we should still have the manpower to take Ye city and plan from there?" Fu Jin asked.
I pondered the idea, "Hmm, would Chou Rai really go for it? The man probably has the same idea to make himself commander in chief, or even retreat and call an end to the invasion. Since Ba Tou of the Wei Fire Dragons entered the picture, it would not be so easy convincing the man to continue on, Wei has put 120,000 into the field. Skewering the odds even further out of our favour, and should they then call on the likes of Tai Ro Ji and Shou Sen, the mountain will only be more difficult to climb." I replied, before continuing. "But then again when have we ever cowered against uneven odds, we must ensure the other Wei Fire Dragons are looking elsewhere."
Jo Shou tentatively asked, "Young Master, are you… seriously thinking up a plan?"
I smirked and replied, "Jo Shou, an idea just came to my mind." My smirk grew and the sweat on Jo Shou's face dripped down, "But should we get caught at a single point, it could go bad, very bad." Even knowing what could happen, I felt my army could pull it off.
"However, should we succeed. Hau City will pale in comparison." I could not help but laugh, before immediately writing a letter and sending a rider off to where Chou Rai was. The plan was to slowly make it seem as if we wanted to retreat, for five days at least giving Wei the impression that we had given up and would start running with our tails between our legs.
Then came the sneaky part, as I thought of the plan it felt like Rin Shou Jo was talking to me. "In war, the mind is a powerful thing. Being so close to a victory, many let their guard down. Why would they not? They can see the end in the distance, they're safe and they've survived… That moment, that single moment, is when an enemy is at its weakest." It was one of the many lectures my teacher had given me, and one of the many I had committed to memory.
Being a person who came from a time when medicine was advanced, I knew doctors and surgeons were vital to an army and a person's well being. Herbs, ointments and salves, practically anything that would give my army an edge, I wished to discover it. With some good physicians and doctors, I worked tirelessly to find remedies for ailments like diarrhea and certain poisons, my main thinking at the time was finding ways to keep my soldiers in top condition.
However, now I saw how they could be used as a sword to pierce deep into the enemies shield. It was important I made sure the soldiers were at least able to fight, I did not want to be known as a poisoner like that coward from Han.
Chou Rai agreed to the date of mobilization easily, bringing his entire army even those that usually were in reserve. When the 6th night came, I knew the Wei were celebrating their victory. Morale must've been high, and Ba Tou was possibly focusing on a way to invade Zhao and take lands and cities for himself.
The night was dark, not a star could be seen in the sky but there was a clamour coming from the Wei camp. It was almost too easy, to the point that I thought for a second I thought another ambush was awaiting us. They had all to a man believed they had won and scored a great victory, one that would lead them to even more victories.
They saw the backs of Shin Sei Jou's army retreating, and in their joy they forgot about me and mine. Their guard was down, allowing us to enter their camp and disturbed their water, wine and food supply, we only a small amount since I didn't initially plan to do this. The Wei soldiers were drinking and cheering, "Hahaha, did you see the look on those Zhao soldiers?!!!" A Wei soldier shouted.
"Yes, I ran him through a half dozen times!!!" Another joined in holding his cup aloft not paying attention to anything else.
They were partying hard as it was the sixth day, and rarely does anyone return on the sixth day to do battle once more. 'Oh, how this will cost you dearly.' I kept my cool and went on with the plan, before retreating.
Come the next morning, the same Wei soldiers that were revelling in their joy were puking and shitting their guts out. They could not believe the morning they just had after such a great night, then came another hammer blow. 50,000 Zhao soldiers were suddenly upon them, raging and killing any Wei soldier in sight.
They didn't even have the chance to rally up fully, before they could understand the how and why of it all. They were put out of their terrible misery by mine and Chou Rai's army. They were chased and harried until nearly the entire army were killed off, but it seemed Wei Fire Dragon Ba Tou had not been sighted amongst the dead.
In fact only half of the army were present, which meant the plan went off without a hitch. With Ba Tou heading back to Dairyou to tell the Wei King, the good news was that his army had won a decisive and quick war. I ordered my troops to march towards our main objective, the city Ye.
"Let's shock some more people, shall we?" I said to Den Pou who nodded with a smirk.
END OF SEI CHOU POV
….
258 BCE
STATE OF WEI: YE CITY
The combined army of Sei Chou and Chou Rai reached the plains in front of Ye City, the odds of the Zhao invasion had been evened with both sides having roughly 50,000 soldiers each.
As the two armies faced one another, under the morning sun. A lone rider made his way into the no man's land, under the view of Wei archers on the walls. He rode forwards with confidence, and a smile at his lips. After the raid of the Wei camp General Chou Rai had nominally voted for Sei Chou to be the commander in chief, giving up the chance to command the entire Zhao army.
Atop the Wei walls stood the Wei Fire Dragons left hand man Ga Gyuu, his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl. He knew who the rider was, the person who had foiled and killed half of his army.
"Even your dead master would not have been so brazen as to come at me like this…" Ga Gyuu said to the rider, Sei Chou looked up "The name of General Ga Gyuu is not as well renowned, but Ye City is just in front of me and it is something I want." Sei Chou replied.
"You're still an inexperienced boy, why be so suicidal and not lay siege to Ye City?" Ga Gyuu questioned.
Sei Chou smirked looking the man directly in the eyes, "I'm young and tireless, sieges have not been my thing and your might is not the same as Ba Tou, my soldiers only want to go home after being in war for so long." They both knew Sei Chou's words just now were a pack of lies, the siege towers and ladders behind the young general was only one example needed.
The eyes of the Zhao soldiers who looked at Ye city with hunger, and determination was yet another example. Ga Gyuu knew the Zhao troops would siege the city, and whilst it would've been the smart decision to stay in the city and defend the siege. Ga Gyuu wanted to teach the young boy in front of him a lesson, that the boy was just a frog in a tiny well, who didn't understand just how wide the ocean was.
"It seems you have the arrogance of a Great Heaven already. Good, but you lack the wisdom to become one." Ga Gyuu replied. He was the left hand man to Wei Fire Dragon, Ba Tou. He had clashed with the Great Heavens of the past.
"I hope this boastful General can come down and teach me some wisdom?" Sei Chou offered his words as a clear provocation, and they both knew it.
"Ha, I have someone here who wants to say hello to the student of Rin Shou Jo." Ga Gyuu gestured to his side, and a massive man came stomping forwards. A grin on his face as he picked his tooth with his pinky finger.
"I am-" SWOOSSH! "AHHH!" The man's speech was cut off, a spear had flown through the air and struck him directly in the head.
"My bad. This spear of mine seems to have slipped from my hand. Ga Gyuu, please be a good man and return it to me." Sei Chou pointed at the vassal of Wei Fire Dragon Ba Tou, before gesturing for the man to return his weapon.
Ga Gyuu grinned murderously, his blood boiling at the sheer arrogance of Sei Chou, "I'd hate to part with an ace fighter's weapon. But just for you I'll return it personally." Ga Gyuu replied, the gates to Ye city opened wide and coming rushing out on horseback was none other than Ga Gyuu two swords drawn.
"HERE HAVE TWO!" He shouted.
"Then it is only right I give you this spear of mine in return." Replied Sei Chou.
The two charged at each other, thrusting his spear towards Ga Gyuu, Sei Chou against the guard of Ga Gyuu. The horses neighed as the power of each combatant registered, swiftly the Wei Fire Dragon looked to decapitate the young Zhao general.
However, Sei Chou moved out of the way at the last second, the near miss only seemed to fuel Ga Gyuu's blood lust as he rushed and swung his swords with more strength.
GA GYUU POV
'What am I doing?' He shouted in his mind as he clashed again and again with Sei Chou, this was not his usual method of warfare. He was more methodical, practised and never rarely fell to anger but his blood was roaring at him in this moment.
The boy before him was too arrogant, and Ga Gyuu had wanted to crush the arrogance personally. Usually he would never take such a risk, but it was now on his shoulders. Another strike from his swords was blocked, and power behind the block rattled his arms. Before another thrust from Sei Chou's spear came and he had to scramble to block it again, this time he felt his bones rattle.
'WHAT AM I DOING?!' Was it that the boy in front of him had infuriated him to such an extent that he decided to leave Ye City behind, and charge out recklessly instead of just coordinating a defensive siege. Ga Gyuu's mind was slipping in and out of the fight, his body working unconsciously to keep up with the strikes of Sei Chou who seemed to get faster and stronger with each strike.
Another heavy strike came and pain flared from his stomach, 'Heavens?! He's so strong?!' Ga Gyuu's started to come to a sickening realisation as he fought, he had both heard and seen Sei Chou previously. Even fought against him, when the boy was under the wings of the late Rin Shou Jo. So, it shouldn't have shocked him how powerful the boy was but… 'This is different from then!' He wanted to shout.
Sei Chou was a thorn in his side, he had remembered a few years back when the boy had taken his headquarters down, and now that he faced him in this war and heard the same boy who orchestrated the massacre of his camp. Something snapped inside his mind, the Wei General wanted to bring the prodigy down, personally.
'How foolish!' He shouted as the shaft of Sei Chou's spear impacted the arms of Ga Gyuu; it was only now that he realised just how foolish he had been. But there was nowhere to run now; if he turned tail, the boy would run him through, and morale would drop.
'COME ON GA GYUU!' To himself, trying to will his strength to the fore, as he swung downwards with both arms, looking cleave through both the right and left arms of the young general in front of him, who kept that damned smirk at his lips. 'He's led me by the nose!' His mind could not focus on the fight. And that was a death sentence for anyone.
He caught a glimpse of Sei Chou's grinning face and eyes before pain erupted from his stomach. Ga Gyuu's arms felt weak, weaker than they had ever been. As if he were carrying a mountain, they halted before dropping abruptly as his head angled down. He saw the shaft of Sei Chou's spear, blood already coating it.
His breath came to him with difficulty, blood thick in his throat started to bubble, and as he tried to open his mouth, he coughed a gulp out.
"You're a fool." Said the boy in front of him before wrenching the spear out. The last thing Ga Gyuu saw was a spear coming for his head.
Then… darkness.
GA GYUU POV END
CHAPTER: DONE