The Battle of Red Cliffs: The Opening Skirmish (1)
Sun Quan pressed for resistance with a force of will greater than anyone had expected.
With Zhou Yu as Grand Commander, the forces of Eastern Wu threw themselves into full-scale preparations for war.
The troops Wu placed under Zhou Yu numbered thirty thousand. Liu Bei's army contributed a modest force of its own, yet against Cao Cao's host of more than two hundred thousand, the numbers remained desperately short.
In truth, the manpower Jiangdong could muster was not limited to this. More could have been raised if the will had been there. That the voices of those who had urged surrender had fallen silent did not mean the great clans were eager to cooperate with the war effort — and that, more than anything, was proof of how many still held back.
Even so, amid the unease, Zhou Yu and the generals of Jiangdong pooled their strength. They inspected warships, weapons, and supplies, and reorganized the ranks.
Before long, a rumor began to circulate through the camps.
Soon they would clash with Cao Cao's army in open battle.
In actual history, too, Cao Cao and Zhou Yu had fought a naval engagement on the Yangtze before the cliffs at Red Cliffs ever burned. This would likely be the bout that showed the true mettle of Jiangdong's navy.
For someone who had done little more than watch until now, this was my chance to act. Truthfully, even if I stayed out of it, the flow of history would not change much here. What truly mattered was the battle still to come — the one that would turn on fire.
But I had not come all this way for nothing. A chance to fight on the water alongside the generals of Jiangdong.
If I made good use of this opportunity, it might prove useful in any number of ways down the line.
I could build experience in naval combat, and get to know the officers of Eastern Wu face to face.
"Military Advisor, would you grant me leave to take part in the fighting? I came along as an escort, so I know it is presumptuous of me to ask."
At my words, Zhuge Liang wore the look of a man who had seen this coming, though his tone was still laced with concern.
"You mean to join the battle."
"Yes. There was that debate with Wu Fan last time, for one thing. If I hang back and sit this one out, it will look rather poor. And since we have come this far, I think we ought to show at least some willingness to fight."
Zhuge Liang smiled faintly.
"Even without all that, you were planning to go out and fight anyway, were you not?"
"Well, that is…"
How did he know…?
When I found myself at a loss for words, Zhuge Liang smiled once more and said,
"My lord told me as much. He said that if it were you, you would surely want to take the field."
So Liu Bei had said that. Still, now that I had brought it up, I might as well get permission and go.
"Cao Cao's army is so vast that every single fighter counts. And I want to accumulate combat experience at the front as soon as I can. That way I can be of even a little more use to His Lordship. I will never become a burden to our side — I swear it."
"Of course, with Duwei Jin's martial skill, that is hardly a concern… Still, there is a condition. You are not to overdo it, and you are not to get yourself hurt."
"Understood."
Even Zhuge Liang, who had bested every minister of Wu in debate, seemed unable to refuse when I dug in my heels. In the end, he gave his consent.
"Very well. I shall speak to Master Lu Su on your behalf — ask him to place you with one of Wu's units."
"Thank you, Military Advisor."
When Lu Su heard my request, he expressed a touch of concern at first, but soon nodded.
"Duwei Jin's spirit is truly remarkable. In that case, I shall look among our generals for someone willing to take you into his unit."
Lu Su set about finding an officer among Wu's ranks who would temporarily incorporate me into his command. Well. I was ready to fight hard no matter which unit I ended up in—
Someone stepped forward like a bolt of lightning.
"I will fight alongside Duwei Jin."
It was Pan Zhang. Ah. Scratch what I just thought. Somehow, this man did not appeal to me in the least. There had been that oily manner of his when we first met, and in the original history his character had never been particularly admirable.
"General Pan. You would be an excellent choice, without question — but I believe His Excellency has an important duty that only you can fulfill. As you know, General Taishi Ci, regrettably, passed away from illness not long ago. Grand Commander Zhou has asked me to find a capable man to take command of the troops the late general once led, and your abilities, General Pan, are precisely suited to that charge."
Whether Lu Su had read my mind or simply held a poor opinion of Pan Zhang's character to begin with, I could not say — but he offered a plausible excuse and declined the proposal on my behalf.
Pan Zhang grumbled a little, yet when Lu Su reasoned with him in his gentle way, he accepted it and withdrew.
And so the general of the unit I was temporarily assigned to was none other than…
"Oi! You lot! Come for a sightseeing cruise, have you? What's with all the gawking? Anyone caught staring off gets dunked straight over the side!"
At Gan Ning's bellow, the soldiers who had been sneaking glances at me whipped their heads around at once.
"Hey! We're about to go toe-to-toe with Cao Cao's army — anyone goofing off can look forward to a bath in the Yangtze!"
The unit I had been placed with was Gan Ning's. I stood aboard his ship, preparing for the clash that was nearly upon us.
Just as in Liu Bei's army, quite a few soldiers kept casting sidelong looks my way. Fair enough — I would have noticed, too, in their place. Still, it was more than a little uncomfortable.
"Weigh anchor!"
The order came down from Zhou Yu, Grand Commander of the navy, and the ships of Eastern Wu — mine among them — began to move. There was no need to say it: they meant to force a decisive engagement with Cao Cao's fleet.
From Zhou Yu's towering multi-decked flagship down to the smaller zhougu and chima craft, the sight of countless vessels cutting through the current of the Yangtze was a spectacle in its own right. The ship that carried me rocked gently as it pressed forward.
Gan Ning came over. The copper bells at his waist chimed with every step.
"Well then — anything giving you trouble? I hear this is your first fight on the water. You going to be all right?"
Gan Ning was a general of pirate stock, and the roughness of his nature showed plain; his men were much the same. But he kept a tight grip on them, so I had no cause for discomfort.
Better than Pan Zhang, at any rate. Still, a fight on the water was new to me, and I was a little uneasy.
"It's not the open sea, but the current here runs strong enough. Don't try to stand stiff against it — bend your knees and ride the wave. Oh— already got the hang of it, have you? Nothing to worry about, then. Haha."
Whether it was my natural physique or some prior familiarity with water, I could not say — but fortunately, seasickness never came.
"The enemy fleet is approaching!"
The report came in. From the far side of the river, a great mass of ships was gliding toward us.
Even at a glance, they outnumbered our own. And the more frightening truth was that, for Cao Cao's army, this was not even the whole of it.
As the enemy fleet drew nearer, tension rippled through our ranks.
"Don't lose heart, you bastards! Show them what Jiangdong is made of!"
Gan Ning's voice rolled across the deck like thunder. Every man gripped his weapon tight and fixed a hard stare on the oncoming ships. I checked my bow once more and took my place among the soldiers.
At last the two fleets closed to arrow range.
"Loose!"
It was Cao Cao's army that struck first. The Battle of Red Cliffs — one of the greatest and most decisive engagements in the entire Three Kingdoms — had raised its curtain.
"Shields up!"
At Gan Ning's command, the soldiers ducked swiftly behind their shields. Enemy arrows rattled into the wood in a dense, staccato rain. Then came the countervolley.
The enemy did not simply stand and take it; most of them sheltered behind their own shields. Arrows alone would not easily punch through a wall of shields packed that tight.
I nocked an arrow of my own, but held my fire, watching for a gap. On a rocking ship, there was bound to be one.
Sure enough — a wave swept under the hull, the shield wall wavered, and a narrow seam opened between the boards.
The instant one enemy soldier's eye showed through that gap, I released the string.
With a bright, clean twang, the shaft flew true and drove straight through the man's brow. He toppled backward, red blood spraying from his head.
Return fire came at once, but I slipped behind a shield and drew another arrow.
From the command post, Gan Ning's voice rang out as he worked the ship and barked orders for attack and defense.
Overall command of the fleet belonged to Zhou Yu; command of this vessel belonged to Gan Ning. My only task was to focus on the fight directly in front of me — and with that single thought, I kept loosing arrows.
I aimed chiefly for the seams between shields. The enemy, even behind cover, seemed rattled by the knowledge that those gaps were being hunted without rest; their formation frayed by degrees, and our attacks poured into the openings.
I had just dropped another man when an unexpected movement stirred on the enemy ship opposite. The moment I loosed, the shield wall split cleanly left and right — and a single arrow came flying straight at me.
Whoosh—!
Ah!
I ducked just in time. The arrow grazed the tip of my helmet and hissed past. I was unhurt, but the sharp ping of it lodged itself in my ear. For a brief instant, a chill ran down my spine. I touched the lightly scored edge of my helmet and let out a breath of relief.
That was close.
In the instant before the parted shields closed again, I saw him — an enemy officer, bow in hand, eyes gleaming as he locked onto me. Fine. Let's see what you've got.
I did not know his name, but the quality of his armor marked him as a general of some rank, not a common soldier.
From then on, the nameless officer and I traded arrows across the water several times over. Each time I brought a man down, he answered by dropping one of ours. More than once, as before, his shafts skimmed past my helmet.
There may have been an element of provocation in it — but more than that, the man was a formidable archer.
I crouched behind a shield for a moment and worked out a plan to take him. It was improvised, and I wondered whether it would even work — but having thought of it, I decided to try.
I pulled off my helmet and handed it to the soldier beside me, then briefly explained the plan and asked him to follow it. He took the helmet and nodded readily.
While both sides continued to trade arrows and curses, and the ships maneuvered for openings against each other, I fixed my whole attention on bringing down the officer before me.
I gathered my focus and drew a deep breath.
When would be best.
Where to aim.
How the officer would move.
I calculated the moment I judged he would have an arrow nocked, and acted. I gave the soldier beside me a signal with my eyes. He eased my helmet out over the top of the shield.
Thock!
The reaction I had hoped for came at once.
In that barest of gaps, an arrow struck the forehead of the helmet dead center, and the helmet itself went spinning backward in a shower of sparks.
It lasted less than a heartbeat — yet in that instant, no sound reached me at all.
Not the twang of bowstrings around me.
Not the soldiers' battle cries.
Not the orders and answering shouts.
Every nerve was concentrated; none of it registered.
What I did feel, with perfect clarity, was the sound of my own swallow and the hammering of my heart.
The moment the helmet flew back, I drew my bowstring and leaned out past the shield. The taut creak of the string rang sharp and clear in my ear.
Let my guess be right…
Just as I had expected — there he was, lowering his bow, about to duck back behind his shields.
Our eyes met once across the water. Dismay flashed across the officer's face — but it was already too late!
A bright twang cracked against my ear. The arrow shot free in a single motion, flew true, and at its tip a red flower seemed to burst open.
Success!
The bow that had done its work still trembled in my hands.
"Waaaaah!"
"A hit!"
The sounds of the world came rushing back.