SEI CHOU POV
"What a disorderly bunch."
"Truly a motley crew. Lords Gyou'un and Chou Garyuu are chasing them like demons sent forth from the underworld."
"Then, why should we allow them all the glory?"
"Haha, My Lord. You read my words."
"Can you keep up, old man?"
"Hmph, I should be saying that to you?" Chou Haku gave his horse a little tap and raced off, shouting orders to his army to chase down the retreating Quanrong. I only watched him for a split second before quickly catching up and going past him, turning back once to give him a smug look.
Fu Jin was hot on my heels, accompanied by my personal army. The Quanrong were a slippery sort, and leaving them to retreat over the desert was a potential thorn. I knew I could not stop all of them from escaping, but I wanted to strike a terrible fear into their hearts. A fear that I hoped would last for some years before they tried their hand once more, it was their way, even if some of their most fearsome submitted with a change of a generation, they would be back again.
'And there's also the Xiongnu who have steadily been building their strength…' The thought brought up some memories from the manga… 'I can leave them to Riboku to deal with.' Terrified faces turned back to see me, their eyes widened as they harried their horses to go faster.
It was no use… My army was here, and so was my treasure blade.
"I only want to talk!" I said even as I struck down a few who had lagged, it only seemed to send those further away into a frenzy. They were running in every which direction that they could, breaking off into smaller groups in hopes of dividing up our forces.
The tactic worked to some extent, but still it was not enough; my system's map showed me that Gyou'un and ChouGaryuu were hunting down all Quanrong like hounds who'd never let the scent go.
As I looked at my map, I saw there was a small contingent that decided to stop and turn and face us, taking my eyes back to the scene in front of me. I couldn't help but smile, "Since the underlying got a beating, is this now the boss fight?" The leader of the Quanrong, who had led his people to face us, decided to become the rearguard for his fleeing flock.
'I didn't get to kill Rozo the slippery bastard… But he was only a side dish.' The thought was both vexing and amusing, even as my army and I continued to catch and kill Quanrong soldiers who had turned their backs to us.
"Fu Jin, take some of the men and continue on. You and Chou Haku are to get as many as you can." I gave the order quickly, knowing full well that Fu Jin would hear me over the fog of war.
"My Lord." Was all Fu Jin said before going on past me, taking the majority of the troops to wet their blades. It would be a good experience for the newbies who possibly didn't get to kill their first soldier.
A few paces away from me, I saw the Quanrong leader. He was built like a warrior, tall and imposing. As if he were the perfect image of a steppe leader, it made me wonder as to why such a person decided to stay back in his headquarters, but then again, I was jumping to conclusions.
The man might have won his position not through strength but through scheming.
"Some would call you overconfident, sending away so many of your men?" The man said to me, his eyes narrowed as he stared at me.
"And some would call you foolish in trying to halt me, offering yourself for the vanguard… why not retreat and rebuild your strength to try your hand once again?" I replied.
The man scoffed, "After this," He said, gesturing broadly, "I don't see my tribe trying to make a comeback anytime soon." There was a sadness to his voice, whether it was fake or real, but I didn't show any empathy.
"Then a valiant last stand it is."
He pointed his spear at me. I could see that it was finely made and looked a lot like a spear that one would find in the hands of a general, lieutenant or commander, and that just added to my suspicions that the Quanrong were getting outside help.
"Know this, Zhao's Sei Chou, I've never feared death, but if I am to die today. I swear by heaven and earth, you will accompany me." The man said with unwavering conviction. He was determined to see his words through; I felt the smile wipe itself from my face. The air around us seemed to thicken and grow heavier as I lifted my own glaive.
"Your name?"
"Sen Bi of the Sen Bi tribe, leader of the Quanrong. King of all Quanrong!"
"HOOOUUHHHH!!!" The Quarong who had accompanied their King screamed and shouted their heads off at the proclamation of their King.
"You already know me," I replied curtly. "But just in case you've forgotten it."
"I am Sei Chou! Zhao's General!" The end of my sentence was also the start of our duel.
….
STATE OF YAN:
3RD PERSON POV
"So, the Quarong were defeated all in a single day as well."
"Fufufu… How interesting, things are starting to heat up."
Zei, Lord of You City, looked over to the only Great General in Yan's military, the last and only pillar of their military. 'The man laughs as if this is all an amusing game to him.' He couldn't believe that the Quanrong were defeated so quickly, of course the war was still going on between Zhao and the tribes that still tried to put up a fight, but the outcome was already set in stone.
It was now only a formality for Zhao's victory to be known throughout China, and with that victory, it would be known that Sei Chou of Zhao was an even more fearsome General than anyone thought. 'Those that had previously dismissed him as lucky…' His thoughts trailed off, his mind going back to when he received news that the Zhao General had killed Great General Chi Ketsu.
He'd outwardly discarded the loss as nothing but a fluke, a lucky victory that couldn't possibly happen if the battle for Hau City was fought 99 other times. Yet, inwardly… Zei knew just how frightening such a figure showing up in Zhao could be.
"Don't tell me you're fretting over this piece of news… did we not factor in that the Quanrong will be defeated?" Geki Shin said.
"Yes, we did, but not so quickly. This is the same man who killed Great General Chi Ketsu, and his father figure terrorised our state for years. Just when we thought Zhao was a spent force, they birth a monster like this." Zei felt he needed to drive the point deep into the head of Geki Shin before Yan entered a situation it had never been in before.
"Hmph, I am not underestimating the enemy… I know full well just how strong the man who defeated Great General Chi Ketsu can be. But I've been clashing against those hermits who hid away from society and call themselves 'Path seekers'; I've felt for a long time that my strength has only continued to increase. Wahahaha, I killed so many of the fools now they no longer show their faces." Geki Shin boasted proudly, he'd been fighting those path seekers who chased nothing but the pinnacle of martial might for a long time, and even entered hibernation to fight more of them when he heard of Great General Chi Ketsu's death.
The words spoken by Yan's Great General did give Zei some confidence, as he relaxed back in his chair and tried to think up just how the battle between Geki Shin and Sei Chou would go. He factored in Sei Chou's recent win and Geki Shin's claims of improved strength, and the result left him with a slight smile.
"Though I think with the ability that Zhao's Sei Chou has just shown. The King and court will get cold feet, and dismiss the plan, instead looking to build their strength." The words were spoken by a third person, and both Zei and Geki Shin turned to see the beady eyes of Guo Wei looking at them.
"Hmph, if you have news from the King, then just say it already." Geki Shin demanded.
Guo Wei paused for a moment before nodding and smiling as he gave the recent news that had come directly from King Sho of Yan. "With the recent developments in Zhao, King Sho asks Great General Geki Shin to return and defend the capital."
"Well, I still expect to be paid in full. My army didn't move all the way to the front lines for nothing." Geki Shin replied with a knowing grin, even though he felt the urge to fight on the frontlines in a great battle against Sei Chou.
"The King has already delivered the payment to your city, Great General." Guo Wei said, making Geki Shin's grin widen even more to the point it split his face.
"Wahaha! What King!"
"It's all about the money, isn't it?" Zei asked, not even the slightest shocked by Geki Shin's demand. He had heard the rumours that the man had nearly sold out the previous King of Yan, only staying because the King had paid him an enormous sum.
"Wahahaha! Zei, of course, it is all about the money! Wahaha!" The Great General of Yan laughed his way out of You City and all the way to the capital that night. The thought of facing Zhao was already far from his mind.
….
STATE OF ZHAO:
SEI CHOU POV
"Someone should've told you that there's no hiding from my eyes." Tied up in ropes and thoroughly beaten were Rozo and, off to the side, out of earshot, was what seemed to be his entire family; the rest of his Quarong tribe were either being captured or killed, depending on the level of resistance they showed.
Rozo gritted his teeth with barely concealed anger, "I've surrendered, so why not kill me and be done with it. Why continue on this charade?" Though his words were definitely true, my army had chased the Quanrong to the ends of the earth, and with the aid of my system, I managed to round up all of the important figures in the Quanrong army.
Especially Rozo, I didn't want this thorn to get away from me. "Are you not afraid of death? You freely give up your neck to me, have you not heard the tales of Gou Jian?"
"I've never feared death, I know I will welcome it like a homecoming when it does arrive. The only thing I fear is goals unachieved and desires unfulfilled. And this Goujian, I've never heard of him." I stared at the face of Rozo, my entire attention focused on him as he spoke and the reading his eyes gave.
The Quanrong King truly believed his words wholeheartedly: "Do you feel that your goals have been unachieved and your desires will be left unfulfilled here and now?" I replied.
There was an audible grinding of teeth coming from Rozo, and it was all the answer I needed: "Well, then let me tell you why I hoped you understood the story of Gou Jian, a King can live with shame, but as long as he makes a comeback, all will be forgotten." Rozo was not dumb enough to know what my words were implying, so I continued.
"My army has already satisfied their thirst for blood, and anymore would be gluttonous. Your leader's head has been taken, and soon enough, word will reach the capital of my victory. Now, there are only two paths left open for you. Quanrong king."
If Rozo's eyes could widen further, I was sure they would pop out of his skull and roll on the ground at my feet. "You can either play a minuscule part and have your story end here and now," Fu Jin said, standing beside me, presenting Kanshou to me. It was too valuable for me to use in battle; since then, it has become a ceremonial sword.
"Or you can follow in the footsteps of Gou Jian and surrender yourself to a higher power, in hopes of having a chance to strike a counterattack in future… But I must tell you to choose wisely." The options I presented to Rozo were vastly different, even though it was die or surrender; that was only the surface.
Anyone would choose to survive and live over death in such a situation, especially someone who felt they had unfulfilled desires, such as Rozo. 'But it was not easy to choose to surrender because should he surrender, then I will…' Rozo's head slowly went down until it met the dirt, "Spare me… spare me and my family. Lord Sei Chou's magnanimity is known all over the world, even far in the north."
Looking at the man, I nodded. Fu Jin and the troops in my personal army took Rozo and the others away. Seeing their backs, I couldn't help but laugh, thinking of my plan to use Rozo and his Quanrong similarly to how Riboku used them, but instead of playing nice with them. I will await the perfect moment to tear him and his down.
"Let's hope Riboku brings back that child from Xiongnu," I said. I always thought it a shame he didn't take command of the Quanrong in the manga; it seemed like an opportunity missed by Riboku and a slight plot hole.
SEI CHOU POV END
NARRATOR POV
In the year 255 BCE, the Quanrong revolted and invaded Zhao. Their army of 300,000 would be turned back by the army of General Sei Chou. Zhao's General slays the leader of the Quanrong, whilst routing the 300,000. The second in command, Rozo, a King of the Quanrong, surrendered, swearing vows of loyalty and righteousness before being sent to Ryouyou City.
The State of Wei will continue to be stalemated by Great Heaven Ren Pa.