Eastern Wu: Realm of the Sun Clan sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“When we have Chaisang,” Huang Shè said to his aides, “Father can begin
the great mission to push Sun Ce and his pirates back to their caves and
hills!”
“Don’t be too overconfident,” an adviser suggested. “The speed with
which this Xu Sheng recognised the threat and withdrew the populace from the
surrounding area gives the impression that-”
“Chaisang is ours!” Huang She
cried. “It has to be so! BEGIN THE ATTACK!”
Qin Song observed the
first wave of Jing soldiers approaching the walls and said, “If your intention is to buy your way out of
this, Major Xu, then do it now!”
Xu Sheng smirked and said, “I do not simply think that I am their superior. ARCHERS… AT THE READY…! …FIRE AT WILL!”
The row of soldiers that lined the western battlements raised their bows
with grace and precision and started a mechanical, obviously oft-practiced
process of nocking and firing arrows at frightening speed; Qin Song smiled as
he suddenly realised that, despite his countenance, Xu Sheng knew exactly what
he was doing. Huang Shè’s men fell one after the other as arrows struck them
with chilling accuracy, and all of the young commander’s re-established
confidence disappeared once again.
“The-! …Heaven, why???” Huang Shè cried as the
number of casualties climbed into the hundreds before his disbelieving eyes.
“We must withdraw!” an
officer pleaded. “Withdraw at once,
General Huang!”
“How can I show my face???”
Huang Shè retorted. “How… can I… face Father…?”
Qin Song was laughing
as he watched Xu Sheng’s elite archers pick off the last of Huang She’s first
wave of besiegers; Xu then turned to Qin and said, “We’ve softened them up: now
I shall go and deal with him personally.”
“I’m sure that you can!” Qin Song replied.
Xu Sheng left the battlements and led his small force of elite
infantrymen and cavalry out of the western gates of the city with an
expensively-decorated spear in hand; Xu proved to be as good a fighter as he
boasted, taking several lives personally and managing to kill some of Huang Shè’s elite bodyguards. The Jing commander
fled the field in tears, his spirit broken, while Xu - who even had the
begrudging respect of men that knew that he did not reciprocate - raised his
weapon in triumph and enjoyed the glory of a victory that had cost Huang Zu the
lives of over a thousand men.
“Another hero,” Qin Song declared as he watched the celebrations from
atop the battlements of Chaisang.
When Liu Biao’s correspondence finally reached Jiangxia, it was belated and unnecessary: Huang Zu was already moving all of his forces out of western Jiangdong and fortifying a defensive position at Shaxian, which was to the east of his prefectural capital.
The former Administrator of Wu Prefecture, Xu Gong, pondered Liu Xun’s
latest defeat as he sat in the court of his successor Zhu Zhi once again.
“This brings us one step closer to order,” Zhu Zhi suggested. “If we can
just rout the Shanyue once and for all…!”