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Love Thy Enemy - A Tale of Romance In The Three Kingdoms (PF & LadyYunaFFX2)

PredatoryFantasia

PredatoryFantasia

Super-Earth
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Chapter 1 - The Yellow Turban Rebellion

The power of the Eastern Han Dynasty had been on a steady decline since the reign of Emperor He. Political conflict washed over the lands like a torrential rainstorm and brought with it all of the economic problems that such turmoil was always sue to cause. A series of Han emperors ascended the throne while still youths, and de facto imperial power often rested with the emperors' older relatives. As these relatives occasionally were loath to give up their influence, emperors would, upon reaching maturity, be forced to rely on political alliances with senior officials and eunuchs to achieve control of the government. Political posturing and infighting between imperial relatives and eunuch officials was a constant problem in every corner of the land as a result. During the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, leading officials' dissatisfaction with the eunuchs' usurpations of power reached a peak, and many began to openly protest against them. The first and second protests met with failure, and the court eunuchs persuaded the emperor to execute many of the protesting scholars. Some local rulers seized the opportunity to exert despotic control over their lands and citizens, since many feared to speak out in the oppressive political climate. Emperors Huan and Ling's reigns were recorded as particularly dark periods of Han Dynasty rule. In addition to political oppression and mismanagement, China experienced a number of natural disasters during this period, and local rebellions sprung up throughout the country.

In the third month of the year one-hundred and eighty-four, Zhang Jiao, leader of the Way of Supreme Peace, a Taoist movement, along with his two brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, led the movement's followers in a rebellion against the government that was called the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Their movement quickly attracted followers and soon numbered several hundred thousands and received support from many parts of China. They had thirty-six bases throughout China, with large bases having ten thousand or more followers and minor bases having six thousand to seven thousand, similar to Han armies. In respose to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Emperor Ling dispatched generals Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun to lead the Han armies against the rebels, and decreed that local governments had to supply soldiers to assist in their efforts...

As Zhao Ra moved through the small, crowded base camp of the Han forces, his head reeled with all of the talented warriors with whom he would be working. He could name several of them even though he had never met them, their reputations preceding their arrival in this, the final conflict that would surely mark the end of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the name of the Han. Some of these great warriors included Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei along with his 'brothers' Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. With this much talent in one force, Zhao Ra was certain that this would be the final battle and he was honored to take part in it alongside such legendary generals, even if he was here virtually alone.

Gongsun Yi, Zhao Ra's adopted father and the warlord to whom he served as a vassal, had not bothered to answer he summons of the Emperor himself. Instead he had sent only Zhao Ra and a small handful of freshly recruited soldiers from his province to aid the jointed effort. Ra suspected that Gongsun Yi was anticipating for the forces to suffer heavy casualties, which would weaken the provinces surrounding his own and allow him to use his unweakened armies to gain more land and reputation. Ra had advised him against this course of action, warning that it would brand him as someone whom could not be trusted, but the warning had gone unheeded.

A heavy sigh escaped the young soldier as he took a seat alone next to a large bonfire. It was morning, and still dark as any night could have ever been, but the sun would be up soon and the forces were set to move with it. He could not help but contemplate how things had come to this. Growing up, he had always thought his father a strong man and wise leader but in the recent years, as his field experience grew and his tactical mind was sharpened with experience, he could honestly regard his father as a fool. A smile slid across his lips as he wondered what it would be like to serve under the ambitious Cao Cao, the passionate Sun Jian, or the virtuous Liu Bei. They were real leaders.
 
RE: Love They Enemy - A Tale of Romance In The Three Kingdoms (PF & LadyYunaFFX2)


Solitude, betrayal, pain, and as of recently ... war. These were all aspects of Yue's life that she was all too familiar with. The decline of the Han Dynasty hadn't helped many people and unfortunately, herself and her family hadn't been exempt from this. Not long after her birth, her mother passed away. The labor had been too much for her heart and with the economy having made supplies and food hard to obtain, her condition had only gotten worse during the entire pregnancy.

Perhaps only because her father had sworn to live on without her, he did just that. But not without taking his frustrations and anger out upon Yue. Of course the doctors had told him the true cause, but his logic had been twisted and distorted by the loss of his wife; so much that he put all the blame upon Yue. Even to this day, his reasoning could still ring perfectly clear in her ears, as if it were a bell. "If you had been a boy, she would have lived! This is your fault!" With those words came years of - verbal and physical - abuse.

By the time Yue hit 10, she took time to seriously contemplate on his words. ...If I were a boy huh? Waiting for her father to fall asleep during the autumn night in the middle of November, she slipped into his chambers while he slept. Taking her father's longsword, she cut her formerly long hair. It used to go all the way down her back. With the help of a simple mirror in her room, she made it touch her shoulders. After some more rummaging around their small house, she found some bandages. She wasn't developing .... not yet. But she knew she would need them.

From that night forward, she decided to be done with all the abuse. Taking his longsword and the bandages, along with the clothes on her back with her, she began journeying. Granted, the pre-teen had no idea where to; but as long as it was away from her horrid excuse of a father, she didn't care. Several days of traveling passed -- but to little avail. Yue had - no doubt - gotten lost; moreso than she desired. But lost was only the beginning of it; worse than that, she'd run into bandits.

But when they saw she had pretty much nothing except her life, they decided to go for the next best thing aside from money; her body. With little to no proper training in how to use her father's blade, it almost seemed inevitable on her fate. But none of them got to see the slightest bit of flesh. In fact, none of them got to blink. By the time Yue herself did, they were all dead.

Standing before her was a soldier clad in armor, most of his face hidden by cloth. The most she could note were a pair of dark brown eyes. They studied her orbs silently ... before a calm, masculine voice spoke. "With proper training, you can become useful and deadly ... especially with that blade. Let me teach you."

That was all Yue needed to hear. Years passed .... seven to be exact. The now seventeen year old Yue had finished training under the guidance of her mentor. When she tried to ask for his name in order to thank him properly, he wouldn't reply, insisting to focus upon herself more than him. Taking his advice to heart, she had done more than succeed in her sword training; but she had also never once forgotten her father's harsh words. During her years of training, she paid close attention to everything her mentor did, how he spoke, acted, any and every detail she could pick up on.

In the end, it had all paid off. She had been able to join as an official soldier to the Han forces. Of course, her own change in name was needed. But she had thought of that ever since her father accused her of her mother's death. She had long wondered what she may have been called if she were a man. Known to the others of the Han Forces as Zhou Xun, she quickly became relatively well known with her skills in wielding, using, and killing enemies with her father's longsword.

It had been only a few months upon her joining, but she had made sure that everything she did and said never once gave away her true identity. This day, however, all the soldiers were to await. She hadn't been given many details yet -- but she wouldn't dare question the orders of her superiors either. Walking out from her tent, she saw another figure near a fire. Bowing her head, she sat beside him, putting her hands close. "Morning, even though it doesn't look it ... " The voice was calm but - because she had made it so - as masculine as any of the other men serving in the Han Forces. Hesitating, she glanced slowly up. He seemed a bit higher up ... maybe he would know more. "Were you given more specifics on what we're to do? I was told only to wait; though not quite what for ... "
 
As Zhao Ra sat by the flames, his hands busied themselves brushing the dirt and dust of the day from his armor. 'A warrior's armor should be stained only by the blood of his enemies! Do not disgrace yourself or your commander with a filthy appearance fit for the field-working peasants,' Gongsun Yi had always told him. Ra did not particularly agree with that philosophy, but being forced to adhere to it for his entire life had made the cleanliness of his appearance something of a trained habit that he entertained often while idle. It seemed that these days, he didn't agree with much that his father said or did and it was causing his faith and loyalty to wane.

When the young woman, well-disguised as a fellow male soldier, approached him and spoke in her false masculine voice, Ra's childish wanderlust faded and his thoughts returned to the world around him. He had barely heard what he had been asked, but the words rang in his head well enough. It was a fair, though disturbing question. For a moment, it made him wonder why would any warrior set foot onto a battlefield in which he had absolutely no concept of the situation, but when he could not think of a good answer himself, it left him feeling the very same fool. A light flush crossed his cheeks at the thought. Thankfully, the fire already washed him in an orange glow that would hide his embarrassment.

"I know only that the renegade leaders, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang are rumored to be hiding in the outposts scattered throughout this reason. Our scouts have bee unable to confirm the rumors, but the heavy defenses and strategic locations of each base point to the rumors being true," he spoke in a calm and confident voice that did not reflect his shameful lack of useful information on the matter. "Furthermore, the scouts report that the enemy has made no attempts to mobilize, indicating that they may be unaware of our presence nearby. There is a chance that if we remain undetected for only a few more hours, we can end this quickly with few casualties in a surprise attack."

Little did the unified forces know, they had been detected early in the night and the three leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all prophetic brothers, were preparing traps of their own from within their strongholds. Blessed by the heavens, they prayed at altars to call for the aid of the heavens to aid their defense and their inevitable retaliation. Earthquakes and landslides were common in the rocky, mountainous terrain. Such things would not raise alarm to the unified forces if they were to be forced into the battle by a divine hand. That, perhaps, was the rebellion's strongest weapon. They had been proven to be capable of causing such things in the past in more open terrain. Here, however, such things would appear natural and the unified forces could very well try to continue onward into more such traps.
 

An eyebrow couldn't help but raise at all the information. But it was when he said the enemies did not know of their location ... that she found the hardest to believe. "If I may ... I find this all very hard to believe. If they didn't know they were here, I doubt they would be running around like fools seeking out a quick death wish. I believe that, if anything, it is the opposite; they know perfectly well we are here. Hence all the locations .... they are five steps, possibly more, ahead of us. The problem ...." Turning to make direct eye contact with him, she finished her sentence, "...is we do not realize this."

Letting her words sink in, she gazed towards the fire. Though her hands were mostly still, there were slight hints - but only if one was close enough - to hint the slight trembling. There had been another thought she had refused to let leave her lips in fear of sounding like a traitor. But with all he had just said, it only seemed more accurate. This ... seemed like a set-up. But not just a typical one either; no. It seemed like someone from their own side, one of their very own commanders, had made contact with the opposing side and arranged this. So in a way .... it was a suicide mission, or it certainly seemed that way. They would be going out into an impossible - or close to that - situation where few of them would get out of this alive.

While it was true that she knew perfectly well the risks of having joined the Han Forces, the still somewhat selfish part of her didn't want to die. No sane person - she hoped though - did. It was supposed to be an honor doing so in battle but ... was it really? In some aspects, it seemed more shameful because dying by one's enemy meant you weren't strong enough. At the same time though, you were defending your lord you served. It seemed confusing and somewhat hypocritical at the same time. Her head shook lightly as she forced her thoughts to return to the 'here and now', the more current situation at hand ....

"...A few hours?" She mulled softly. "....Even that we may not have, assuming we've been known about. Cut the time in half I'd guess ... hopefully not less." Moving brown bangs away from her face, matching hazel eyes were soon - and better -revealed. Even before she had sat down, she had stood at a decent height of 5'3". Of course, she looked about half that while sitting now. Her mind began to go into a strategic mode of sorts while the two waited; taking in both her theory and the other soldier's. Either of them could be right in what was going on but honestly ... she hoped it wasn't her for once. Because if it was ... this was going to be much worse than anything the Han Forces had ever began to realize. It applied regardless of whether anyone within their ranks had betrayed them or not ...
 
Ra had been focusing all of his attention on the dance of the fire until he caught his fellow soldier turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye. This prompted him to turn in kind, allowing the two that brief moment of eye contact. The other warrior had a peculiar look about him, Ra had thought. The warrior's eyes shown with the wisdom of an experience soldier but at the same time, his face was soft and almost feminine. Of course, Ra had seen and heard tales of men with a more feminine appearances carve terror across a battlefield. This certainly didn't speak against the warrior's skill.

"These are very serious assumptions," Ra stated as he turned his attention back to the dancing flames of the large bonfire. "Though all of our reports speak the complete opposite of what you have said, I would still advise you to report to Lord Yuan Shao. He is a strong warrior and a wise general. I am sure that he will listen and quell your insecurities about this situation. One should never set foot onto the battlefield with an uncertain heart."

'One should never set foot onto the battlefield with an uncertain heart.' The words rang back though Ra's mind. They were, perhaps, the only notable lesson that Gongsun Yi had ever taught Ra and then gone back on when he seized power. Before becoming the Lord of his province, Yi had been a noble and honorable soldier with much wisdom to share with his subordinates. These days, however, he had become corrupt with money and power. Still, this one lesson remained strong in the forces of his Lord. Ra suspected they were for different reasons now, but it was still a good philosophy for any soldier to follow.

The philosophy, to Ra, tied into his own beliefs regarding an honorable death on the field of battle. He believed that a warrior with a heavy and undecided heart would die dishonorably because he did not truly understand or embrace the cause for which he was fighting. If he walked proudly and certainly into the fields of blood, however, his death would be honored because he died fighting for the things in which he truly believed. To Ra, death on the battlefield could be as honorable as a notion as growing old and becoming a trusted advisor to the next great ruler, so long as you had died for a cause that was truly your own.
 

Would her words even be listened to if she truly went to face Lord Yuan Shao? If this soldier was already merely hesitant, she almost dreaded the true reaction for her own lord. Nonetheless, she knew his words were true; she probably should speak of this manner. Not just because she was obligated but should her true fears be even somewhat accurate, he would need to know that there may be a traitor amongst their ranks. This mission truly was, the more she contemplated it over silently, seeming like a set up .... one she wasn't overly looking forward to facing. But she wouldn't run away from her duties; no. She would face them head on. Even if it was justified, she'd already taken the 'fleeing' route once ... from her father. She wouldn't do it here or now.

Nodding slowly as she rethought on whether to truly face Lord Yuan Shao or not, she slowly stood. "Very well, I think I shall then. Excuse me ... " Bowing her head to do just that, she exhaled once out of earshot from her comrade. A part of her felt bad upon realizing she had been a bit too hasty and hadn't even given him her name. She had made up a fake one years ago and it was what all knew her as; Zhou Xun. Gazing swiftly around to make sure not many others were around, she moved brown strands of hair behind her ears; a habit that too few men did. She never did anything that may begin to give herself around others. Women weren't - for as long as she had been told - meant to be warriors. Between that logic and her father's guilt trip he'd given her - damn bastard - it was why she had even resorted to this disguise in the first place.

Nervously swallowing at the concept of meeting Yuan Shao, she had been told not too long after joining that the easiest way to find any of the higher ups were the tents. The designs and amount of guards outside them usually hinted whom was within. So even without having done this before, she at least had ideas on how to go about this. Carefully making her way through the crowd of other soldiers, she soon arrived at what she believed to be the right place. As the guards looked down, she made eye contact with them. Taking another deep breath first, she then began to speak. "If he isn't too busy, I would like to speak to Lord Yuan Shao regarding the upcoming mission."

The sight of a hand being held up before her to wait made her nod. She had expected that a bit; but it was a start. Holding her wrists in front of her, she began to think of how exactly to explain her theories while waiting. It would definitely be risky to bring up; not just because of whom she would be talking to but the lack of proof. By the time her eyes gazed up again, only one guard remained. One probably is speaking to him now .... She silently assumed, taking breaths through her nose to help her remain calm. Knowing the amount of time she had left was probably dwindling, she nodded to herself as she believed that she knew what she wished to say when - and if - she was granted consent.
 
The guard that had gone to fetch Yuan Shao, commander of the united forces gathered here against the Yellow Turban Rebellion, had only been gone for several minutes before he reemerged from the tent and took his original post. "Lord Yuan Shao cannot be disturbed at this time," the guard spoke in a firm tone. "He is currently meeting with Lords Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Guan Yu as they plan for the assault which is to be launched at dawn. I have been informed to tell any other officers from the smaller forces aiding in this effort to remain patient and calm until Lord Yuan Shao can make a formal address to the soldiers himself. You will be assigned to your squad at that time and will be assigned a commanding officer from a larger and stronger province."

With that, the guard allowed his spear to fall to the side, blocking the path through the door. The other guard followed suit, causing the spears to form an 'X' over the doorway so that the woman in man's armor could not pass. Afterward, neither of the guards seemed to be paying any mind to the disguised woman. It would seem that she would not be getting her audience with Yuan Shao, after all. Her approach had caught the attention of another famed warrior, however, and he wasn't the quiet type.

"Well what do we have here," a great bellow called from behind Xun moments before a thick, tree trunk of an arm came crashing down around her shoulders. The man that it was attached to was none other than Zhang Fei, a warrior famed for his strength and his love of good ale and good food alike. His love of ale could be smelt in the air as he continued on in a boisterous tone. "You're a pretty little thing, aren't you with those soft brown eyes and round little face. How would you like to come back to my tent and inspire the troops before the big fight? I'll be gentle, I promise."

While Xun's disguise was nearly perfect against any sober and level-minded man, it would seem that the intoxicated general under Liu Bei's command hadn't noticed the flat breastplate that she wore to hide her bust or the cloak and waistband that she wore to draw emphasis away from her hips. All Zhang Fei saw was those soft brown eyes and feminine bone structure. For the drunkard soldier, that was enough for him to quickly label any individual a woman.
 

She had expected them all to be in a meeting so that wasn't new for her to hear. Unfortunately, the same could be said about them being adamant on not letting anyone else in. "But this involves the mentioned assault!" Her voice had gotten damn close to giving herself away with how frustrated she had gotten. At least they had confirmed one thing; dawn would be when this attack was to be launched. So it was as she thought; they only had a few hours before this would be executed somehow. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if the Lords themselves even knew fully what they were doing really.

A frustrated sigh left as the spears made the X. Bowing her head, she began to turn back -- before a massive amount of weight fell upon her shoulders. Biting her lip to keep from wincing aloud, the smell of alcohol quickly filled her nostrils. Turning slowly around, she noted the voice to belong to Zhang Fei from the Shu alliance. She, herself, was with Wei and thus served Lord Cao Cao; but for the moment it seemed everyone was - for the time being - working together. Her thoughts instantly ended -- the second he offered quite the lewd offer to her.

At the same time, it made her panic and her heart sink. Had he found out?! But ... but how?! No one else had figured this out so ... what ... ?? Stay calm! He can't prove anything yet ... Remembering the alcohol smell - and realizing it was coming from him - it dawned that maybe his words were but a fluke. It still didn't fully change her reaction to such an offer. A nervous chuckle left as her head shook, gently moving away from the man's hands. "With all due respect sir, I'm not sure if .... I'd be worthy enough for that to begin with. But moreover, I do have some last minute preparations to get done."

Silently praying that maybe if he heard the masculine guise, it would alter his mind, she took slow steps back. She hoped it would end at that; but if needed, she would do all she could to ensure her identity remained hidden. Taking up the offer would definitely not aid out with that; and moreover she wouldn't want to lose her virginity for no better reason than lust. She knew morale was a big deal, especially for big wars. But ... she also knew there were other ways to obtain that than sex, an orgy, or both. Trying to slip back towards the fire where she had been before, she kept her eyes and ears alert. She would love to believe Zhang would be understanding of her reply; but she knew there were different types of drunks. There was the usually cheerful one; and then the exact opposite, ones whom were violent. She really hoped not to repeat something similar that she had endured seven years ago, when she almost had her purity taken from her by force. At least, she supposed, this time would be different; this time .. she knew how to use her weapon.
 
The look on Zhang Fei's face when his proposal was met with such a masculine voice was nothing less than priceless. His eyes could have been compared to a Zhang Fei sized dinner plate as he leaped back away from the young 'man' and removed his arm from across Xun's shoulder. "Whazzat!?" The drunk soldier exclaimed in a nearly incoherent stammer. "Boy, you shouldn't be walkin' aroun' here lookin' as pretty as the Emporer's daughter with all of the soldiers here on edge like they are! Yer gonna give the wrong guy the wrong idea and he's gonna shove somethin' down yer throat tha' you don't want there!"

At the very least, it certainly seemed as though Zhang Fei hadn't seen through the young woman's disguise. He was just a drunken old warrior that had mistaken a rather effeminate young boy to be a young woman - at least that is now what Zhang Fei believed. That had to be of some kind of comfort to the young woman.

"Whaz more, you should be tryin' to get yerself in good with the lady soldiers out here instead of those old stiffs there in the tent. Them are some of the most important people in the land in there and they don't have time fer any of our drunken antics... or sometin' like that. Damn Cao Cao, havin' me thrown out while Guan yu and Liu Bei do all of the plannin'..." A hiccup erupted from Zhang Fei at that point, seemingly breaking his line of thought on the matter of Cao Cao. "... Anyway, those lady soldiers... You should find one with some experience! And older broad, say about my years. They like to 'encourage' the younger men to fight like they ain't got nothin' ta lose and then 'reward' em for a fight well fought after. You need yerself one of those!"
 

Turning on her feet, Yue was at least grateful he was only speaking but not making her return. A hand quickly covered her mouth, hiding a smirk and simultaneously muffling a chuckle. The more he talked, the closer her hand moved. Some of the suggestions and images ... were quite lewd and even with now being the worst time for her mind to go to such things, it did all the same. All the same, Yue was past her years of being arranged to be wed to someone. About ... four, maybe five years late to be exact. She knew it wasn't all her fault ... but a portion of it was all the same. Though her parents had not been able to get around to setting her up with someone, she also has been on her own long enough to begin to think of these matters. Her head shook no lightly; maybe ... when she was done as a soldier. Not now though; right now she would focus upon living, not marrying herself off.

Finally moving her hand away from her mouth, her cheeks had returned to a more normal color by now as they had forced the suggestive images to leave her mind. "Um ... thank you for your compliments, sir. But I ... don't know if I appear quite so elegant to get a woman's attention that well. Nor ... am I so worthy either." She added, suppressing a low sigh from leaving at the last sentence. For the time being, she wasn't. Even if justified, she had already run away like a coward. Maybe not from a battle, but it had still happened all the same.

As Cao Cao got mentioned, her mind went back to the meeting. A part of her really wished she could somehow hear how it was going. Being given any information - regardless of how little or much - within minutes or hours before the actual attack got executed wouldn't, in her mind at least, be enough. Most of the other soldiers may need more time, whether they needed to prepare physically, mentally, or both. Though a good amount may very well need the latter; gods knew she herself would. This would be her first major fight and it would not - she was certain - be nearly as merciful as all the training and spars she had gone through thus far.

Her thoughts left as she noted out of the corner of her eyes the darkness was finally beginning to try to fade away. It wouldn't be too much longer before the light would take over and they would head out. "I ... will think on it. Thank you though." Bowing her head respectfully, a soft sigh of relief left her lips as she turned, heading back once again towards the fire place she had been sitting at. She hadn't been fully lying when she had said she had some last minute preparations to get done. That was true, and with each minute that had passed, she found herself becoming more and more pressed for time to do any of it.
 
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