East of the River: Home of the Sun Clan sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne

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“Sun Jian is renowned amongst these parts for taking down a whole lot o’ pirates,” Zu Mao chuckled hoarsely. “Charged them headlong, he did, all by himself, and started pointing in all directions, shouting things like ‘You men, from that side!’ and ‘Now! From that side!’ to make them think they were surrounded.”
“Was that really what you did…?” Cheng Pu asked as he looked at Sun Jian, who nodded sheepishly. Cheng Pu frowned and said, “You’re going to get yourself killed, doing stupid things like that, Wentai. Why under Heaven did you do it…?”
“I didn’t have anyone to help me,” Sun Jian admitted. “There were only a few of them, and I thought, ‘Why not?’”
“And you’re the boss,” Zu Mao chuckled. “This’ll be fun, I reckon.”
“Fortunately,” Cheng Pu said, “Gongfu and I are both versed in stratagem… so we shouldn’t need to resort to suicidal behaviour. I know I said that I detest pedants, but… there are limits to how undisciplined a man should be. What were you trying to prove…?”
“That I’m worthy of my ancestry, for one,” Sun Jian confessed. “To be told you’re descended from greatness, perhaps the most respected strategist in history, and then you stare into the water, and the man reflected back at you is… … …I need to know that I tried to be a great man, at the very least.”
Every man that was listening fell silent.
“Well put,” Zu Mao declared after a thoughtful silence.
“The Yellow Turbans are a menace,” Cheng Pu said sternly. “We need to put an end to them… but promise me, Wentai, that you will not throw yourself into the tiger’s mouth in the attempt…?”
“No fear of that,” Sun Jian said with a smile. “I am the tiger. And I’m going to devour them all.”
The men were inspired, and they cheered as one.

*************

2

Sun Jian returned to his home later that evening, wracked with a sudden sense of guilt. His decision to volunteer his services to the rescue of the Han Empire had not been made lightly, but at the same time, the decision had been made alone, and now he had to explain his decision - and the motivations behind it - to his family.
Father!” Sun Jian’s eldest son shouted as soon as he saw the sullen patriarch enter the living quarters. The boy ran toward his father, stopped short, and immediately started to throw punches at the empty air between them. The two enjoyed a short bout of mock sparring before the youth - Sun Ce - hugged his father tightly.
“…I need to speak to the family, Ce’er,” Sun Jian ordered.
Sun Ce nodded eagerly and went to the sleeping quarters to summon his mother, Lady Wu.
     “What is it, Husband…?” Lady Wu asked as she entered the living quarters; she had with her the second son of Sun Jian, who was two years old. She was an attractive woman, and she had a strong presence that was born from the need to support her brother when their father died without leaving them with a reliable source of income. Lady Wu was the matriarch in every sense, and Sun Jian showed her a degree of private deference for that same strong, supportive nature that she now focussed towards him and the family they were raising together. This did mean, however, that the family they were raising would be very, very different from what was the norm at that time.

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