((I'll write up the highlights of the 'battle' seeing as though you excluded them. I'm also gonna try out a new style in my writing, we'll see how it goes.))
Liang Zhi had been gone not even two days, just bearly 32 hours, fighting in the lush green countryside of Xu province, which is the province currently under his jurisdiction. Why did he do battle? What happened you ask? You'll find out soon enough, for now the present. Zhi had just returned - quickly at that, he led his army back with less than twenty casualties to the city where he camped them outside and had them stand in ranked units keeping those captured in the battle under guard, he left them under Shui Xie's watch and rode into the city and was greeted by the people who burned incense and beared colourful flowers as a reception, such was custom in respectfully greeting a successful general. Zhi smiled courteously to the crowd as he passed clasping his hands as he rode towards the yamen at a steady pace.
Reaching the stairs he dismounted and his horse was passed onto a guard who turned to take the animal to it's stable, Zhi halted him with a swift hand motion and the guard stood still with the horse, still saddled. Zhi mounted the stairs, halfway he was met with a crowd of officials and officers of the city, who were shocked to see him, a group of them said "Regent, you have been gone less than two days, how are you back so soon?" Liang responded quickly,
"The army was well disciplined so the task was completed with minimal effort on our part."Zhi then called out the city's treasury officer Du Qiong, who yelled "Present!" as he walked out hands clasped with short deliberate steps then knelt to recieve orders. Zhi then said,
"The army needs rewarding, they performed expertly in the battle yesterday, have your staff head to the south gate with due speed." Qiong recieved the order, bowed and departed to assemble his underlings. Zhi then addressed the entire crowd,
"Head to the yamen, assemble yourselfs how you would, the court session will begin within the hour" The officers and officials bowed respectfully and withdrew into the yamen, drawing up their respective sides, military on the right, civil on the left.
Zhi turned and headed back to the bottom of the stairs, vaulted onto his saddle and rode swiftly southward through the streets, the crowds hailed him again, but he scarcely paid attention to them this time, as he headed back to the army. He slowed down once he reached the gate and drew up his horse beside Shui Xie, and both men folded his hands respectfully greeting the other.
How were they dressed? Shui Xie wore a forest green battle gown which was draped over his shoulders and silver body armour, he didn't wear any other armour, he was a former hunter, and hunters don't need armour, all they need is their weapon, which was hung over his back. His hair flowed to his shoulders with a measure wrapped in a white head kerchief on the crwon of his head, his silvery helmet hung from his saddle ready to be worn. Liang Zhi wore a suit of silvery armour with bronze rims, a turqoise tinted helmet with a pale blue headpiece, a long blue cape and a blue battle gown wrapped from shoulder to hip, set in place with a sturdy belt, buckled with his sword. The army wore the issued grey armour and helmets with blue under clothes.
Shortly after Du Qiong arrived on horse and rode beside Liang Zhi, the three officers bowed to each other then officials with cart pulling troops entered the scene bringing rewards. The troops bearing the rewards slowly dished out a couple of strings of bronze coins to each soldier as rewards. After all was said and done the soldiers bowed to the three men thankfully, who bid them return to their homes dropping off the captured at the yamen, as they were from Xiapi, they plunged through the southern gate like a great flood in returning to their homes and dropping off the prisoners.
Liang Zhi, Shui Xie and Du Qiong returned to the city where they entered the yamen, Du Qiong took his place on the civil side and Liang Zhi sat in the host seat with Shui Xie standing to the right behind him, signifying his military affiliation. From Zhi's eyes looking down the hall of the council was like this: the officials knelt to the left on their mats, dressed in official robes of multiple variations of colour, each wearing a scholar's hat. To the right of the view knelt the military officers, who too wore robes of multiple colours, and head kerchiefs on their crowns and held helmets under their arms, signifying that they were officers. Straight ahead were the large doors which lead to the reception which in turn lead to the staired entrance. After this was observed a group of prisoners were ushered in bound with the hands behind their backs, they were set kneeling in the center of the large hall, inbetween the civil and military with the Grand Commandant before them.
* * *
Enough of the present, let us travel back to the past for an explanation, to how the battle was fought and how it began. It began with Wu capturing Shouchun, from there Wu has clear shooting range at Xu province, the rebellion took place at a county closest to Shouchun, the citizentry was compelled out of fear for their safety if Wu attacked. The county commander Li Fei not wanting to be exterminated should Wu invade, killed the local prefect took control and rallied the military in the town for a drive against Xiapi to make an impression to Wu that he did not care about Wei and wanted to help them. Relying on help from Wu's forces stationed in Shouchun as reinforcements Fei locked down in the county seat waiting for help which he had sent for.
News of this was leaked in Xiapi and Liang Zhi called up 2,000 men to put down the imminent revolt. Before setting out Liang Zhi forecasted the turn out from the I Ching, which drew a favourable omen for the army, Zhi proceeded with the order to marched and set out that very day with Shui Xie. Zhi had with him 1,000 horse and foot, no siege equipment. Zhi skirted the army around the county leading it to the Wei's border under the cover of night, he had placed himself between Wu and the rebelling county, 'doing the unexpected to catch your opponent' he gave Shui Xie twenty men and sent him with a plan to the southern wall of the main town, where Li Fei operated. Once Xie departed, Zhi set up ambushes near the west, east and south gates under various captains, then took the main army in quick assaults on minor towns, by noon the next day all of the towns and villages were back under Wei authority, as the village leaders, scared out of their wits by the sudden arrival of the Wei Grand Commandant himself surrendered without a fight.
At dawn however, as the guard was just rising in the main town, they were met atop the walls by Shui Xie, and around them fires shot up everywhere, Xie's troops had stealthily scaled the walls with ropes and had set fires around the town while the populance was sleeping the night. The men who mounted the wall for their duty at dawn were met with the vicious glare of Shui Xie, they instantly knew he was a Wei officer and panicked tried to run, brandishing his pear Xie cut them mid turn, slashing run, streaks of blood marking every swing, and slash. He did this racing through the fires towards the town headquarters.
Li Fei hearing that a Wei army was within the walls lost heart as his courage deserted him, leading 500 men he charged out of the seemingly clear south gate, where he was met with the bombard of drums, an ambush! Fei broke through after a brief skirmish, casualties numbered just over 100 he proceeded his nerve shaken he charged hoping to reach Shouchun soon, but was met by Liang Zhi personally, Zhi charged Fei who panickedly tried to fend off his charge with archers, but looking back to give the order, he found out that Zhi's army had ambushed and disected his left and right flanks. Fei turned round to see a halberd flying towards him, he hastily fended off the large weapon with his spear, but it knocked his balance off and before he knew it he was in a heap benath his horse, as he lay there he watched a general dismount, and say
"Did you really think you could get away with this?" Without a chance to answer he was beheaded, who was the general? Regent Liang himself. He retrieved his halberd, sheathed his blood streaked sword, tied the enemy leader's head to the neck of his horse and remounted.
Seeing their leader die the rebels hastily surrendered, Liang granted them amnesty and offered kind and calming words, ordering them to return to their homes with the promise never to rebel again, grateful for their lives being spared the rebels submitted and departed. Thus it was done, Liang Zhi returned to Xiapi victorious.
* * *
But this couldn't be the end, what would be worth writing about if it was just this? No, this is not the end.
Back in the present, the captives were the various officers serving the rebels, most of them reletively young perhaps their late twenties, each of them was judged by the court and their fates were decided. The first, Guan Tai - beheaded, the second, Ren Wan - beheaded, the third, Ji Cai - beheaded, the forth Pang Qi - beheaded, the fifth, Pang Yao - beheaded, the sixth, Zhang Fu - was spared but killed himself, the seventh...well here we are - the present, the seventh has a story to be told. The seventh was not named...yet, he was the most prominent of the seven officers serving the rebel Li Fei.
* * *
After driving Li Fei out of the main town Shui Xie entered the town's headquarters where he was surrounded alone by the seventh officer, he fought the seventh officer's men valiantly, cutting one man down every fifth pass of his agile spear, once he had slain all the men accosting him some ten men, who were armed with swords. The seventh officer advanced clapping almost in a mocking way and raced Shui Xie with his spear, the two fought with spears flawlessly each knowing the other's every move like they had rehearsed the duel, the fought inside the headquarters for about half an hour until the seventh officer turned and ran to withdraw, Shui Xie pursued.
Of course the withdrawl was a feint as they reached the outside, the officer turned and fought sweeping his spear at Shui Xie's legs, who jumped and landed on and snapped the officer's spear shaft with a forced landing. Throwing his broken shaft away the officer unsheathed his fine sword and parried the blows of Xie's spear, the sword being more handible began to overcome the spear, Xie stepped back and hurled the spear at his adversary who ducked it elegantly.
Drawing his own sword from his back, Xie met the officer once more, the two clashed in the open ground, performing as the flames danced around them, what a scene!
Without knwing it they had fought for an hour, but their skills only seemed doubled, the two without knowing it had slowly moved outside of the town and were beyond the north gate (where there was no ambush). They fought on, Xie's twenty men had located their leading officer and began to watch the fight from a distance, readiying their swords to aid their commanding officer on his order. As the battle raged on the twenty swordsmen became entranced by the swordsplay, and had sat down watching the fight.
After two hours of fighting the two men continued on, uneffected by fatigue, by the Liang Zhi had calmed the town and fires were all but gone. Zhi heard of the fighting from the locals of the town and rushed to the scene, he saw blades dancing in the early afternoon sunlight. The seventh officer parried Xie's blade and called off the fight, both men marvelling at the other's martial skill. The officer then called to Liang Zhi, challenging him to combat, Zhi laughed and called Xie back over, who remounted and removed his helmet to watch the fight. Zhi ordered a horse for the officer and he mounted. Zhi rode out and bearing his mighty halberd stood 200 paces in front of the seventh officer, the two stared boldly, then charged at one another, the two clashed Zhi blocking the officers swift sword with his halberd shaft.
The two turned and faced their horses the same way and clashed on horseback for a while, thrusting, swirling and sweeping their weapons, until Regent Liang swung his halberd with a yell forcing the seventh officer to roll from his saddle onto his on feet. Zhi swung one of his legs over his horse and slid onto foot, the horses fled the scene and the two generals fought 100 rounds on foot, until Zhi swung hard striking the sword out of the officer's right hand, using the opportunity to spear his halberd into the ground and unsheath his fine sword while the officer retrieved his weapon, he swirled his sword and struck a stance to fight the enemy officer.
The two charged and met once again, swordsplay was Liang's forte and he quickly got the young officer on the back foot, as he swung upwards knocking the seventh officers sword up, he then delivered a swift left forearm to the officer's abdomen and as he leant over his him in the back with the butt of his sword, then he swung his sword knocking off the offcier's helmet and held the sword to his neck. Alas, a victor! Along with six other key officers of Li Fei, the officers was bound and captured.
* * *
Thus ends the past, so we resume our present perspective. Coming to the seventh offcier after the other six were dead, Liang rose from the host seat and walked down the two steps raising his seat from the others, that signified his superior position, he walked over to the man, his three trademark feng shui coins tingling at his waist, he circled the man, and said,
"What is your name young general?", he paused looking out of the doorway then turned back to the officer,
"We had quite a fight yesterday. You are a talented individual, what made you pair up with the rebel Li Fei?" Liang and the assembly waiting the reply. Indeed, the master, meets the protege, who was the unnamed seventh officer?
EDIT: ((Geez thats longer than expected...hope you enjoy the long read))
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