Antlion Pit (6)
"Alright, let's move!" I was about to continue while looking toward Sun Quan when Ju Tae's command rang out, cutting our chatter short. With Ju Tae at the forefront, the pirates responded in kind, and their boisterous, lively energy quickly spread to the surrounding soldiers. In no time, the troops—who had been utterly exhausted the night before—were gripping their weapons and supplies, falling in line behind Ju Tae as she led the way.
Ju Tae seized the moment and kept the men moving. At first, their morale carried them forward with genuine enthusiasm. Then—
"Over here!!!"
The careful advance through the dawn mist, meant to avoid detection, shattered the instant whistles echoed from every direction. The formation tightened into shorter strides, and the soldiers broke into a desperate sprint. Roughly half an hour had passed since we began moving before we were spotted. It was the result of Ye Gwan's meticulous nature combined with the early hour and the convenient fog. I wondered how this timing would shape the rest of the day.
I followed the runners ahead, my body still frustratingly sluggish, so I kept my mind working instead.
"Boss, what do we do?"
"Take 'Big Ears' and 'Underbite' and cut their line. Once the enemy stops moving, pull back and run. You know where the boats are waiting, right? Meet us there."
"I don't like working more than I'm paid for. You'll make it up to me later, yeah?"
"Of course I will, you little shit. See you then."
Because I had the luck to be running near the front, I could easily overhear the exchange between Ju Tae and the rest of Sun Quan's command staff. When the enemy began tightening the encirclement, Ju Tae did exactly what she had done the day before: she detached a small force to punch a hole in the net. One of her subordinates answered with casual nonchalance, gathered a few men, and vanished. Moments later the encirclement stiffened and slowed, allowing Sun Quan's troops to break through before it could fully solidify.
"Don't stop—keep running!"
Given Ye Gwan's personality, the encirclement was almost certainly layered. The farther out the rings stretched, the larger they became, which meant they would take longer to lock down. Ju Tae seemed to understand this as well; even after the breakthrough she drove the men mercilessly onward. Her judgment was sound. The soldiers could still hear Ye Gwan's troops shouting behind them, so they obeyed without complaint, eyes fixed forward.
As a result, Ye Gwan's forces gradually fell behind. The pursuers were repeatedly harassed by the raiding parties Ju Tae kept sending, and their figures dwindled into the distance. If things continued this way, Ju Tae's bold claim might actually come true. The question was how Ye Gwan would respond.
Setting my own predicament aside for a moment, the situation was genuinely intriguing. Unable to use body reinforcement, I mulled over the problem while my stiff limbs carried me forward and even asked Ser for her thoughts.
[Hmm. It's frustrating not being able to see the whole battlefield like before. Still, if I had to guess, she'll probably send her lighter infantry ahead first to cut off the most obvious route and slow you down. She should have a rough idea where you're heading to cross the river. Meanwhile, the troops chasing from behind will be more cautious than yesterday so they don't get ambushed again, while she keeps her elites in reserve to strike once your stamina starts to flag.]
"...Not bad."
[I have to stay busy now that I'm useless. Thanks to that, I've had plenty of time to think.]
It was absurd to tie up an entire army just to chase a small force. Ye Gwan had been repeatedly outmaneuvered by Ju Tae's unorthodox escape tactics, but by now she would have figured out the pattern. She would likely dispatch only a minimal force to deal with the raiding parties while preserving her elites, waiting for the moment when Sun Quan's exhausted troops—after running for nearly half a day—would be vulnerable to a decisive strike.
That moment was probably approaching right now, half a day into the pursuit, just as the vanguard ran into the light infantry she had sent ahead.
"Enemy ahead, Boss!"
"Break through!"
Ju Tae's reply to the report was short and sharp. The sudden appearance of lightly armed infantry blocking the path was exactly what she had expected; after running so far they would be tired, so a concentrated push should scatter them. Her reasoning was sound.
Yet the instant the subordinate who had received the order started forward to relay it, a fierce charge slammed into Sun Quan's rear from behind. Ju Tae's calculations collapsed in an instant.
"Enemy attack from the rear!"
"Hold them with the rear guard—casualties are acceptable! Everyone else, ignore it and keep pushing forward!!!"
"B-but Lady Sun Quan ran to the rear—"
"What?!"
Ju Tae glared at the soldier who had spoken, but glaring solved nothing. Leaving Sun Quan behind had been a mistake; her sense of responsibility and lingering guilt would never allow her to stay safe while her men died. Looking back, even Ju Tae's decision to personally rally the troops that morning had been a misstep. Sun Quan, positioned in the middle of the formation for safety, must have learned of the crisis at the rear and thrown herself into the fight to protect her soldiers.
"What are your orders, Boss?"
The enemy's goal was not annihilation but to pin them down until the encirclement could be completed. Even so, there was every chance Sun Quan could be killed in the chaos if the elite troops Ye Gwan had committed struck with full force. Yet if Ju Tae turned back now, the breakthrough would fail and the entire formation might collapse, ending the battle here and now.
Her subordinate asked with a tense face. Ju Tae bit her lip, unable to answer immediately, then finally spoke.
"Take command here. I'm going to save Lady Sun Quan."
Today's advance would end here. Or perhaps something far worse would happen first. Either way, once Ju Tae made her decision she moved fast. She took a small detachment and sprinted toward the rear—myself included, naturally falling in at the back.
The bewildered looks on the faces of the soldiers we passed were memorable. If Ju Tae wanted to keep morale high tomorrow the way she had today, she was going to have her work cut out for her.
"Lady Sun Quan!!!!"
The moment we reached the rear where the fighting raged, Ju Tae shouted Sun Quan's name and plunged straight into the melee. The battle had grown even fiercer. I fought my way through Ye Gwan's soldiers in the middle of the chaos, following behind Ju Tae. The numbers looked roughly even, but Sun Quan's men were far more exhausted from the constant running, and the two sides were now completely intermingled. Sun Quan's safety was clearly in danger.
Where was she?
"Hey, Ser. Right now—"
Ah, right. I couldn't use that ability anymore. I had started to ask Ser for Sun Quan's location out of habit, only to remember too late. I clicked my tongue. I hadn't realized how convenient it was until I lost it. I really needed to recover that power soon. Grumbling to myself, I suddenly noticed Ju Tae ahead of me falter violently. I followed her gaze.
"What, did Sun Quan die or something?"
If that were true it would be catastrophic, but when I looked I froze for an entirely different reason. A familiar figure stood over the fallen Sun Quan, spear leveled at her throat.
"....Ye Gwan?"