"Eternal Mastery at arms is truly a cheat code." Gaku Shi could not help but marvel at his skill with the bow; it was like his body was on autopilot when he took up a weapon. His body and mind worked in perfect sync to get the very best out of the weapon and what it is capable of.
To partner that with the physique of Captain America was just maximising everything. "Though, there are so many physical monsters in this world… I'm sure a lot of them would give Cap a run for his money and some more." That was the truth, the way Hara had portrayed fighting in the Kingdom Manga series.
It was insane and nowhere near realism; people like MouBu and KanMei were smattering opponents left and right without breaking a sweat.
His eyes then went to the encircled Qin troops who had thrown down their weapons and resigned themselves to whatever fate Zhao had for them. Now, their commander-in-chief is dead. What else could they possibly do than just hope and wait?
"To the north with the lot of them." It was a good idea, send all of them to the north and have them sit on the border between Xiongnu and Zhao. In a continuous fight to help save the kingdom, they tried to end it whilst also never getting close to or seeing their families again.
"SIMA GENG IS DEAD! I HAVE KILLED HIM MYSELF!" Gaku Shi shouted, and another round of cheering ensued. Both Gaku Jou and Sei Kan rushed over to check on him and see if everything was alright, but apart from some cuts on his arms. Gaku Shi had no other marks.
"Aha, would you guess it? I'm sure my future wife will thank the Qin for not harming her husband's beautiful face." Gaku Shi was all smirks and laughter as he watched the eye of Sei Kan twitch; the man wanted to knock his young master's head like he did when they were training, but could not.
*Cough* Gaku Jou coughed, and Gaku Shi turned to him, "Brother, you already have a fiancée." The eyes of Gaku Shi widened. Had he forgotten about this, or was he just never told? "Huh?" He replied, stunned.
"That's for after the war. Let's get the aftermath sorted out before we talk about all of this." Sei Kan interrupted.
"I have a wife?" That was all Gaku Shi could say as the three of them made their way towards Rokan.
*FLASHBACK*
Gaku Shi POV
As I advanced, I saw the wrathful face of Sima Geng's general, "YOU HAVE COME FAR ENOUGH, ZHAO BASTARD! ONLY DEATH AWAITS NOW!" He yelled towards me.
I did not reply to the man but instead held both my sword and spear, one in each hand, before taking a deep breath. "Just follow my back. That's all you need to do. If you feel tired, just make sure your eyes are on my back." I spoke to the Zhao soldiers who decided to follow me into battle.
With the soundtrack of a loud cheer, I charged straight ahead like an arrow. I never changed course. Piercing, stabbing and maiming my way through hundreds of Wei soldiers. I had stopped counting after the tenth, but that was when I came face to face with a terrified Ga Ryuu.
The man looked pale and on the verge of bolting, before he resigned himself and steeled his own resolve to see this to the end. "All I can do now is to halt you for a while longer, as my Lord escapes." He spoke solemnly, but I did not care for his words; rather, I was more surprised to look around and see the men who had come to fight, not one of them had died.
I had made sure to gather those who had more than the average strength from those who had followed me to Rokan.
Knowing they would come in useful, and now I couldn't help but smile thinking of it... I didn't know that I would look more like a demon than a human when I smiled in such a situation because Ga Ryuu charged at me with a scream instead of a shout.
I charged him as well, all the while keeping Sima Geng in my cross-hairs and knowing where that man would no doubt scurry off to. I put all my strength into piercing my spear right through the chest of Ga Ryuu after slicing him from right shoulder to left hip, before the man could even get his sword swing near my neck.
Ga Ryuu dropped his sword and seemed to hang there on my spear, leaking blood from both the wound and his mouth. All the while, I held the man like a trophy, as my eyes caught the pale, frightened face of Sima Geng.
Then the next second, my sight was covered by soldiers wishing to become meat shields, and I had to battle, but as I did, something whispered in my mind... "He's escaping." I knew instinctively that Sima Geng was trying to escape. I immediately steered my warhorse and headed for one of the nearby hills, which gave me a view of the surroundings.
With a bow and arrow, I did not need to practise the skill I used this time. For it had been engraved into my body, I pulled back on my bow and focused on my target. Inhaling and then on my exhale, I released the arrow and watched it fly.
The head of Sima Geng looked back before turning away...
*FLASHBACK END*
"Let's get to the banquet. The men need time to unwind before we decide our next step." Gaku Jou said as Gaku Shi led the three of them to the main residence of the city Lord.
"Indeed," Gaku Shi replied, walking through the doors, the men began cheering for Gaku Shi and his army. They knew who their victory was because of who had inspired them after that terrible first day of combat.
Outside in the streets, there were Zhao citizens crying tears of joy and singing praises to the Zhao army; all of them had been fearful that Qin would enact another Chou Hei and massacre them all just for being there.
….
STATE OF ZHAO: KANTAN
The royal court of Zhao was as tense as a taut string that was being pulled tighter and tighter. King Xiaocheng of Zhao knew things were dire, more so than ever for the state he had inherited.
After the massacre of Chou Hei, he had been terrified that if Qin were to attack yet another city, they would repeat the massacre. He sent General Kou of Zhao to Rokan in hopes of taking the city back from Qin. It was a hopeful thing, a shot in the dark at the truth, but something he needed to do.
Zhao was on the back foot, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Rokan could serve as a beacon of hope for Zhao in this time of darkness, and that is all he could wish to do. With Ren Pa watching the Yan border, they had to pull all of their resources together and find people to defend against the Qin.
Xiaocheng knew he had made a mistake in taking out Ren Pa at Chou Hei, but he could simply call the man back after humiliating a legend in the way he did. No, Xiaocheng had to live with what he did and hope to the sages that Zhao somehow manages to pull through.
"Have Chu or Wei replied?" He turned to his uncle, one of the four Lords of the Warring States era and the current Prime Minister of Zhao, Lord Pingyuan/Zhao Sheng. His uncle married the sister of Lord Xinling, another of the four Lords of the Warring States, to forge a stronger bond between that of Zhao and Wei. Chu was also asked for reinforcements, as they hated Qin as much as Zhao did, if not more.
"Lord Shun Shin Kun and Lord Xinliang are taking care of the internal problems in their own courts." The Chancellor of the state said before continuing, "That was their last reply." It was damning news for King Xiaocheng, who did not know whether to curse the heavens or laugh at the situation he had caused.
"Oh, heavens, how could you be so cruel?" He lamented, looking up towards the heavens above, he knew that Zhao needed a saviour in this time of need. Yet, all of their talented and competent generals were killed at Chou Hei, leaving a sizable gap in the ranks of Zhao.
The doors of the throne room were left open, and a royal messenger rushed in before bowing his head low to the King and Chancellor of state.
"Your Majesty, Lord Pingyuan. I bring news from Rokan."
"Tell me, have those barbaric peoples slaughtered our troops once again?" The King asked with scorn in his voice; he could not hide his anger towards the Qin, not when they committed such an unthinkable atrocity.
"Your Majesty, be at ease, I am sure our troops have managed to organise an orderly retreat." Lord Pingyuan said, the two of them did not think of a Zhao victory, not when the Qin had sent forward their Great General Sima Geng with 80,000, and all Zhao could field was 50,000 troops, most of which were freshly conscripted and not veterans, unlike Qin.
"Your Majesty, Lord Pingyuan. Reports from Rokan say that the Qin have been pushed back and away from the city!" The messenger announced to the absolute shock of the two highest-ranking members in the Zhao nobility.
"What!" "Repeat what you just said!"
"General Kou has sent word! The Qin army led by Sima Geng has been defeated! Rokan is now back in Zhao's hands!" The messenger announced once more.
"Wh-what happened?!!" King Xiaochen was in a near state of complete shock, and Lord Pingyuan, though more measured, was also shocked.
"Give me all the details," Lord Pingyuan said, pointing to the detailed map of the Rokan area, and demanding the messenger spill everything he had heard.
"General Kou confirms that it was the son of Gaku Ki, Gaku Shi, who took back Rokan with 4,000 men and also managed to kill Sima Geng of Qin."
"Hah, did you hear that, uncle? My plan worked." King Xiaocheng had always wished to score one over on his overbearing uncle, who everyone pandered to more than him, and XIAOCHENG WAS KING!
It grated on him, nerved him and annoyed him to no end that he could not match his uncle's influence. Lord Pingyuan smiled, "Yes, your majesty." He said, but he knew in the long run the plan concocted by his nephew was one that did not have a long lifespan.
"And this Yue Si, explain who he is?" King Xiaocheng was interested in the person who had scored such a victory.
"Yes, your highness. Gaku Shi is the son of Gaku Ki, the Military God. He managed to kill Sima Geng after taking Rokan with only 4,000 men and defending it before General Kou came to relieve them." King Xiaocheng smiled like a fool when he heard that.
'Hahaha, everything is going to plan. This shows I have managed to rectify my previous blunder.' King Xiaocheng thought. His uncle Lord Pingyuan was silent, his mind racing. 'This Yue Si seems a great talent, I want to see what more he can showcase in this war, but first I must thank him for slowing the Qin advance.'
Still in his mind, Lord Pingyuan continued, 'Now, with the Qin onslaught slowing down a little. A little breathing room has been created, one that will allow me to negotiate with both Wei and Chu.' Thought Lord Pinyuan, 'Thank you, Gaku Ki.'
…
After speaking with both Sei Kan and Gaku Jou, he had gotten the figures for how many soldiers they had lost. For the Gaku Shi army, they had lost 400 troops, meaning around 3,500 were left in fighting condition. The number of losses for Qin was speculated to be around 30,000 dead, with another 40,000 or so being captured.
Leaving Qin with roughly 10,000, making it back to the Qin borders. It was near annihilation for the Qin army, which had tried its hand at taking Rokan. However, Gaku Shi knew that for the war machine that was Qin, losing 70,000 was like a drop in the bucket.
The celebrations in Rokan were as grand as they could be, but Zhao was still at war, and the capital was being besieged. A messenger came and announced that Gaku Shi was going to be appointed as a general, and the make-up of his army was left to his discretion. Zhao did not have a solid militaristic nature as Qin did; most of it was usually done on connections, but given dire situations, there was much leeway added.
For Gaku Shi, he had skipped straight to General after just one war, and became the youngest General in all of China doing so. A secret scroll was also passed to him by the royal messenger, and it read.
A talent unappreciated is a talent wasted.
From a friend.
CHAPTER: DONE