Flutter Flutter
Flutter Flutter
The Yellow Turban Army arrived at the clearing the scouts had described.
There, spread across an expanse unexpectedly broad for a mountaintop, Tian Kai's force of just over 10,000 soldiers was encamped.
Unlike the Yellow Turbans themselves, who—apart from their yellow headbands—had no uniformity whatsoever in their attire, these soldiers all wore gleaming, richly finished armor.
Drawn up in disciplined ranks, at a glance they seemed like truly formidable elite troops—but at the same time, the sight made Zhang Liang scoff.
"Heh-heh... I'll be damned. They really are standing there as brazenly as all that."
The government forces certainly projected an imposing air.
Yet that very dignity was proof of their foolishness.
Never mind their well-drilled appearance—their numbers were nothing more than a handful compared to his own army.
And in this situation, instead of laying an ambush, they had brazenly attempted a frontal assault.
What was more, this place was an open clearing on a mountaintop, exposed on all sides.
No matter how seasoned their soldiers, to face an army many times their size in a place where even simple tricks were difficult to pull off, let alone an ambush—
Wasn't this proof that the enemy commander knew nothing of warfare and was all empty show?
Mocking the enemy's stupidity, Zhang Liang concluded, contrary to his earlier misgivings, that this battle would end rather easily.
The first warning came as a horse's shrill whinny.
—Hiiiiinh!
A great horse's whinny rang in their ears.
There stood a lovely female general with golden hair and brown skin, mounted on her horse.
"Come on out, you rat-like Yellow Turban bastards! I am Ji Ling, General of the Great Han Dynasty! Any of you with the nerve—come and face me!"
The female general boldly challenged them to Single Combat.
Though she was a woman of considerable beauty, the way she swung the Three-Pointed Blade so lightly made it clear that she was no ordinary fighter.
"General, what should we do?"
"If we refuse, our army's morale will drop. And we cannot pass up a chance to take an enemy general's head. Someone useful... Yes, I've heard that Chief Sun Bin possesses considerable martial prowess. Send him out."
"Understood, General."
At Zhang Liang's word, a subordinate immediately went to relay the order.
Moments later, from the Yellow Turban formation, a huge man like a massive wild boar rode forward on horseback.
A giant axe in one hand, his entire body covered in thick, brawny muscle.
He looked at the female general named Ji Ling standing before him and began to grin savagely.
"So you're that Ji Ling. I've heard the rumors. Word is you gave our comrades in Hedong quite the thrashing?"
"Thrashing? I sent their heads flying with gusto. I'll add your neck to that list!"
"Hahaha! A pretty face with a fiery temper—I like it! Tonight I'll have you in my arms and enjoy myself. Hyah!"
Swinging his axe, Sun Bin roughly spurred his horse forward.
Watching him, the female general likewise gave the Three-Pointed Blade in her hand a light twirl as if it were a tree branch, then began to ride forward.
The two of them hurtled toward each other.
At the same time, an even deeper grin spread across Sun Bin's lips.
Sun Bin had brutally slain countless opponents until now.
Their ranks had included many, from ordinary government soldiers to generals of some renown, but all alike had met the same fate: death or capture.
Even if his opponent's martial prowess was out of the ordinary, the outcome would hardly be different.
Swinging his axe with swift force, Sun Bin pictured that wench crying out in pleasure on his bed.
And then—
—Thwack!!!
"... Huh?"
Before the thought could even finish, an empty sensation washed over him.
A strange and utterly chilling feeling, as if something had been hollowed out—the first such sensation he had ever known. Sun Bin's face, once brimming with greedy expectation, began slowly to stiffen.
As the corners of his mouth, which had been raised, fell completely, Sun Bin's head—now separated from his body—dropped to the ground as well.
"Told you. That makes one more head on the tally."
*
"Wha... what..."
"Ch... Chief Sun Bin... in a single exchange?"
Chief Sun Bin, whose head had flown off in an instant.
They say fear grows the more you know.
The more keenly they understood just how formidable Sun Bin's martial prowess had been, the more intensely the terror of that female general—who had taken his head in a single blow—struck home.
"That's all you've got? I heard you brought nearly two hundred thousand men here, and you send out a fool like this? Looks like you really are scraping the bottom of the barrel."
With mocking words, the female general swung her blade and sent Sun Bin's head flying toward them.
The gesture itself was small, but it instantly chilled the hearts of the two hundred thousand Yellow Turbans on the field.
"Tch..."
"G... General... wh... what should we do?"
If it had at least been a draw, perhaps they could have managed—but such an overwhelming defeat sent their army's morale crashing to the ground.
The plan to seize momentum had instead become the worst possible move.
Yet dragging this out any further would only make things worse.
Given Sun Bin's martial ability, no one on their side could possibly defeat that wench who had dispatched him in a single exchange.
In other words, continuing the Single Combat would only bring more generals' deaths and further collapse of morale.
Having made that calculation, Zhang Liang gave a resolute command.
"Beat the drums. The entire army will advance as we are!"
"What? B... but..."
"That is an order! Attack now—forget Single Combat! We are an army many times their size! Sweep them all away at once!"
"Y... yes, General!"
At Zhang Liang's order, his adjutant immediately sprang into action.
As the drums began to pound noisily, each chief, still nursing an unease that would not fade, nonetheless began to advance.
"At... attack!"
"They're not even a handful compared to us!"
"Sweep them all away! Whoever brings me that wench's head will receive a great reward!"
The chiefs urged the advance by citing their numerical superiority.
With unease lodged in a corner of their hearts, the Yellow Turbans nonetheless began their advance, however labored.
Just then...
"Tch, you petty bastards. If that's how you want to play it, fine. All troops, battle formation!"
At her command, the soldiers set up their shields and thrust their spears forward through the gaps.
Though they were numerically inferior, their morale had soared from the recent victory, and they actually managed to push back against the faltering Yellow Turbans.
"Gurk!"
"Don't be afraid! We outnumber them!"
"Don't fall back—attack!"
Despite the chiefs' encouragement, the Yellow Turbans' performance was far from satisfactory.
Thanks to their overwhelming numbers, they were not being routed one-sidedly, but given their scale, they were fighting noticeably poorly.
As a Disorganized Rabble—bandits at heart—they were especially susceptible to morale.
To overturn this atmosphere and seize victory, a different turning point was necessary. Zhang Liang therefore decided to put into action the plan he had originally conceived, though the picture had shifted somewhat.
"Tch... I will personally sortie. Our main army from Ji Province will strike the enemy's rear. Prepare."
"Y... yes, Gener...?"
"Huh?"
—Clang! Clang! Clang!
At that moment, the sudden clamor of gongs rang out.
At the same time, the government troops who had just been pushing against them threw down their shields, turned their backs, and began to run.
"Retreat! The entire army is to withdraw!"
Spurring her horse, the female general began to flee alongside her soldiers.
Zhang Liang felt a moment of sheer disbelief, but his brow soon furrowed of its own accord.
The government troops, who had been pushing his men back and gradually digging in, suddenly started fleeing.
From Zhang Liang's perspective, it was like a fish that snatched the bait and escaped just when you were about to land it.
"Tch, those cunning snakes caught on! All forces advance! Pursue and annihilate them all!"
"Yes, General!"
At Zhang Liang's order, the Yellow Turbans began the pursuit.
Moving along the narrow, treacherous forest paths was no easy task.
But the same was true for those fleeing.
After a chase that was excruciating for both sides, the Yellow Turbans finally caught the enemy's tail.
"You filthy government bastards!"
"Kill them all!"
"W... wait! I'm... I'm a government... Gurk!"
The Yellow Turbans swung their weapons, pouring out the frustration that had built up during the arduous pursuit.
Whether the enemy was also thoroughly exhausted, or whether their polished appearance had been mere decoration, they were killed far more easily than expected, without putting up much resistance.
Not to mention the ugly spectacle of some desperately trying to save themselves by claiming they were not government troops and the like.
Thus a bout of slaughter was concluded, but on the face of Zhang Liang, who had directed it, there was only deeper irritation rather than satisfaction.
"Huff... huff... Damn it... So we've let the main force get away after all."
"St... still, it is a victory for our side. Our losses number only a few dozen, while over a thousand of the enemy were killed."
The deputy officer was trying to console him.
But Zhang Liang did not even dignify his words.
"What nonsense are you spouting! We mobilized a grand army of two hundred thousand and caught barely over a thousand! What part of that is an impressive achievement?"
"Th... that's..."
"This much is not enough to return on. We will rest and then resume the pursuit. For our army's morale, we must at least capture that female general—Ji Ling, of the Yuan Clan, or whatever she's called..."
"Hey, moron! Don't tell me you're looking for me?"
"!"
"No, that wench is..."
Once again, that troublesome female general appeared before them, bringing another group of soldiers with her.
Still flashing them a grin brimming with energy, she signaled to the soldiers behind her.
And then—
"! Th... this! Shields! Raise your shields!"
—Thwip! Thwi-thwip!
Arrows came flying at them.
Because the accuracy was far worse than expected, the casualties amounted to only a few dozen. But at this provocation from prey that had narrowly slipped away, Zhang Liang and the Yellow Turban chiefs, consumed by fury, rose once more.
"Catch those bastards!"
"Don't you dare let them slip away!"
The Yellow Turbans, who had barely caught their breath, resumed pursuing the enemy that had appeared yet again.
In the process, they succeeded in killing another few hundred enemy soldiers—but the troublesome female general herself slipped out of their grasp and fled.
"You rat-like bastards! What the hell are our soldiers doing? How can two hundred thousand troops fail to catch that one wench!"
"I... I don't understand it either, sir. They must have been fairly exhausted, but they fled incredibly fast..."
"Tch... Hah... Nothing... to be done... It galls me, but... we will rest here for now and then head back."
Feeling even deeper regret and irritation, Zhang Liang began to catch his breath.
As much as he wanted to continue the pursuit, the soldiers had grown thoroughly exhausted coming this far.
What was more, an enormous army of not mere thousands but two hundred thousand men had been racing through the mountains all at once, and their formation was already stretched out to the breaking point.
Since pushing further rashly risked disaster, he concluded that, regretful as it was, he had no choice but to be content with this small victory for now.
But then...
"Hm? What is... that smoke?"
Black smoke, belatedly visible in the distance.
The place where that ominous smoke—suggesting a significant fire—was rising was unmistakably...
"W... wait. Isn't that where our main camp is?"
"No... It can't be?"
"Th... that's impossible. We left nearly twenty thousand troops there. More than anything, it's a natural fortress. Not even a full day has passed—there is no way it has already fallen..."
"Then what is that smoke? If the main camp hasn't been captured, then what in the world..."
At that moment—
"G... General...!"
"!"
A figure covered in blood staggered toward them with great difficulty.
Zhang Liang's face went deathly pale at the sight.
"You... aren't you the adjutant who was guarding the main camp? Why are you here..."
"We've... been had. We... we were completely fooled."
"Fooled? What do you mean?"
"That wench... that strange woman who came from Bing Province opened the gates. At the same time, government troops swarmed in and..."
"Wh... what do you mean? Government troops? How in the world are the ones we've been chasing until just now over there...!"
In that moment, as the situation belatedly dawned on him, a chill began to run down Zhang Liang's spine.
The enemy's numbers had never been clear from the start.
That female general and her subordinates, who had seemed catchable yet never were, had lured their army all the way out here.
And apart from their well-fitted armor, their actual fighting style when engaged directly had been simple and surprisingly unimpressive.
Merely thrusting spears while leaning on their shields—nothing more.
Never mind complex formation changes; even their method of fleeing had been full of holes for supposed elite troops.
While they had been chasing such foes, their main camp had been attacked.
And now they were exhausted from an all-out pursuit, their formation stretched thin.
"C... could it be..."
Could all of this have been...
"... General?"
"Th... this is. Rally the army at once! Withdraw to the main camp immediately—"
"Too late, dumbass!"
"!!"
At that moment, that infuriating wench's voice rang in their ears.
With that as the signal, the clamor of drums and war cries began to resound from all directions.