East of the River: Home of the Sun Clan sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“I am but a lowly official, unproven in battle, while you are a hero of
the hour,” Zhu Zhi replied. “Why should he listen to me?”
“He is an exemplary man, as you are,” Huang Gai said sincerely. “We
shall speak with him immediately.”
“Commander Sun.”
“Ah, Huang Gongfu,” Sun Jian
hailed as Huang Gai and Zhu Zhi approached him. “And that is state official Zhu
Zhi, courtesy name Junli, I think.”
“It is, Magistrate Sun,” Zhu Zhi said as he clasped his hands together
and bowed slightly. “You have a good memory, since we have only ever crossed
paths once.”
“I never forget a man of substance,” Sun Jian chuckled. “I am glad to
see you amongst the ranks of the men that volunteered to help me save this
place, and am only disappointed that you did not alert me to your presence
sooner. Did you wish to speak with me, Junli…?”
“An ambush lies ahead, laid by Ou Xing’s bandit allies,” Zhu Zhi
reported. “We must slow immediately, and make plans to counteract-”
“Ambush…?” Cheng Pu said with
confusion. “Strange… the scouts reported a clear road ahead, and the enemy in
full retreat.”
“They obviously have something resembling a half-decent leader in this
‘Ou Xing’,” Zu Mao suggested. “How’d you know this, Mister Zhu, if you don’t
mind me asking…?”
“It is a hobby of mine to read up on warfare,” Zhu Zhi admitted. “I took
the liberty - excuse me for doing so, Mister Cheng - of making my own
enquiries, and upon cautious quizzing of local people, I learned that Ou Xing
has a lot of support in the area, and a set of traps was prepared in advance of
our arrival. The small wood has a battalion of about a hundred men hiding in
it, and the valley has a small contingent of poorly trained bowmen ready to
shoot at us as we pass, once we enter… the other end will be blocked as we near
it, rather than in advance, so that the scouts report a clear road. One of Ou’s
closest allies, the bandit chieftain Guo Shi, is leading the ambush party
personally, while Ou Xing himself and his ally Zhou Chou are laying siege to
the regional capital.”
“Aiee… I have a lot to learn,”
Cheng Pu said sadly. “You have my sincerest gratitude for your hard work,
Mister Zhu Junli.”
“It is easy enough to assume that ‘barbarians and bandits’ lack
leadership and especially sound strategy, but with enough minds pooled - even
uneducated ones - ideas can sometimes flourish,” Zhu Zhi suggested. “I doubt
their ingenuity extends beyond this… and please, sir, don’t berate your efforts
or your service.”
Sun Jian sensed a great measure of talent in Zhu Zhi, and immediately promoted him to an adviser alongside Cheng Pu, who was grateful for the help rather than jealous, threatened or offended. The ambushes were avoided or defeated, and Sun Jian’s forces advanced to Changsha’s capital, where they attacked the besiegers and forced their way into the city. Sun Jian accepted the seal of office - a stamp that would be used to prove the authenticity of any important documents produced within his administration - and began plans to counter the rebels when they laid siege to the city again.
Zu Mao laughed as he watched Sun Jian, Wu Jing, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and
Zhu Zhi formulate their strategy, and said to Han Dang, “So now we are the
defenders! We’re getting every kind of experience, aren’t we, Mister Han?”
“Yes, we are!” Han Dang replied. “All of it useful, because I can’t see
it calming down at all… there’s rumours around this city that Lingling and
Guiyang are probably going to rise up as well.”
“Yeah, and just like Liang Province, it’s locals and barbarians fighting
together, side by side, against the government,” Zu Mao noted.