SEI CHOU POV
"DISMOUNT!" I shouted at Oukotsu as I swung my glaive at full strength. So did Oukotsu; our weapons clanged once more. Oukotsu grimaced, no doubt, feeling the impact of my swing. He began to frown and grimace as our duel went on. My momentum carried me past him, and without taking the reins of my horse, I skidded back around to continue.
"DISMOUNT!" I heard Oukotsu shout back at me, thrusting his axe forwards, trying to pierce me, both dodging out of the way and using the pole of my spear to block. I managed to get out of the way in the nick of time. Both of us had cuts and breaks in our armour where either one of us had connected, but I didn't care about such trivial matters at that moment, and I'm sure the person opposite me didn't as well.
Oukotsu, missing me, went for my horse, but I followed his movement and blocked the low blow. The man's grimace grew tighter across his face as our horses raced to get an edge. Both of us did the same. The sound of our weapons clanging and the sheer power in the strikes we sent towards each other was probably scary from an outsider's perspective.
"Th-they're still going at it?!" I heard someone say, by this time, I didn't know if they were one of my own or Qin's. I gave them no attention, as even a lapse could see my head flying.
"Are… are you sure that Sei Chou is even human?" Another person said.
Still, I swung and swung at Oukotsu, trying to up the pace of the battle, but the old man was not the Qin symbol of Martial might for nothing; he matched me every step of the way, and then it was his time to take the pace of the battle up, and it was me who had to pull every ounce of strength I had to combat him.
With another clash, we both knocked each other back, but neither of us stayed idle to chat.
"Again," Oukotsu shouted at me, rushing back at me.
"Fine," I replied.
…
OUKOTSU POV
He stared into Sei Chou's eyes, and what he saw made his eyes widen slightly. The eyes of his opponent were completely white, as if he were not truly there, but Oukotsu was sure his opponent was fully conscious, as the fight being this long and intense wouldn't make sense to him.
From the start, Oukotsu had started to go all out, and Sei Chou responded to each call that Oukotsu gave. Then, Sei Chou raised the pace, and Oukotsu also matched him, even taking the pace up even more, but then the man would match him.
'This one is nothing like the one in Chu. Dammit, he's getting stronger!' Oukotsu felt the hits reverberate through his body, the way his bones jarred and shook. The way his skin rippled, and the healed wound across his chest that seemed to ache with each strike of Sei Chou's glaive.
Oukotsu knew he had to do something to get the bastard good, as the two of them got closer. It was Oukotsu's horse that would try to shift the balance, his mount ramming into Sei Chou's before baring its teeth and biting its exposed throat. It seemed luck had shone on him, and seeing the look of shock on Sei Chou's face, the Qin Great General was not going to miss this fortune.
"HEAVEN SHINES ON ME!" Swinging down at Sei Chou, he saw the bastard's body being bisected, his flesh splitting in two parts and the terror, fear and shock that it would send in the Zhao soldiers.
CLANG!!!!
Yet the damned bastard managed to get out of the way once again; however, it was not all bad, as Sei Chou was off balance and with his horse almost landing on him. Another way that this duel would be over…
He didn't see it coming, but he certainly felt it. Instead of seeing Sei Chou being knocked down and off his horse, Oukotsu felt himself being kicked in the chest by one. "I learnt that trick from a few horsemen." He heard Sei Chou say as he felt weightless for a moment before he skidded back on his feet.
Blood rose from his insides and sped out of his clenched teeth, "Damn you!" Ouktosu managed to shout before wiping his mouth. His horse ran to him quickly, and he mounted his horse. By the time he'd looked up once more, Sei Chou was upon him yet again, this time he smiled down at him with both arms and his glaive raised dangerously.
"DIE!"
…
OUKOTSU HEADQUARTERS
Along with Ko Shou's separate force stationed at the headquarters of Oukotsu, there were a few strategists who had their own personal guards and messengers. These men watched the battlefield from the headquarters, as it was their job to follow the strategic orders of Ko Shou, the best strategist in Qin and the teacher of all the best strategists in Qin.
It made sense that these men would be able to stop an irregularity when it showed itself, and right now, such an irregularity has reared its head.
"I-it might only be me… But am I the only one who feels the army is moving further away?" One of the strategists said cautiously, causing a few to look at him with raised eyebrows before turning back to the battlefield.
"Now that you mention it… It seems the army has been continuously gaining ground ever since Great General Oukotsu led the final wave of attack." Another agreed with him, they'd factored in that with the final wave the pressure would push back the Zhao frontline, but this was…
"Is it not too much… they must be at the very edges of Zhao's headquarters?" A student who'd studied strategies under Ko Shou asked.
"Too much, you say," A strategist under Oukotsu shook his head, "No, not when Great General Oukotsu takes to the field, this much is to be expected. I'm sure the Zhao lines will buckle and then break in a few more hours." The man raised his head with a smug smile.
"I agree, Lord Oukotsu has always been overbearing and too powerful for many, and in times like now, when we have more troops than the little runts, this is the least requirement." The person was an aged veteran of the Oukotsu army and had full belief in the strength of Oukotsu and the Oukotsu army.
"No, even by my predictions, this is too much." A calm voice poured cold water on the cheery attitude of Oukotsu's strategist, Ko Shou, who stared and studied the battlefield from his small vantage point. His eyes scanned from left to right before they narrowed a fraction on the flanks.
A feeling of unease started to settle in as he watched the Zhao centre give more ground, while the Zhao flanks stood their ground, trying to either stalemate or overpower the troops.
He looked up to the sky and saw the sun was past its highest point, 'We started the battle at the earliest hour possible. The Zhao have fewer men than we do… it would make sense that they would be giving up more ground.' Once again, Ko Shou returned his eyes to the battlefield; this time, he only focused on the flanks.
'They're making more noise than previously, why make more noise?' He questioned himself, 'Chou Garyuu left his headquarters, and it raised the noise over there, but…' His eyes went back to where he'd sent Shou Hei Kun. The last we heard was that Shou Hei Kun was leaving his headquarters to fight Gyou'un. It would make sense if he were fighting Gyou'un with the full view of all the troops, but they are not.' The pieces of a puzzle started to appear for Ko Shou as he continued his analysis.
Yet, the uneasy feeling grew with each thought he had. Sharp-turning to one of his own strategists, he asked, "In the last battle Sei Chou fought, against the tribes when they failed to invade Zhao, who were the named commanders?"
"Great General, those named in command were Sei Chou as Commander in Chief, Gyou'un, Chou Garyuu and the… Chou Haku and a General named Shuu of the Chou Haku army." The man answered by reading from one of the scrolls.
Ko Shou nodded before going back to looking at the battlefield. He moved from the left to the right and back again. 'Sei Chou is here, Gyou'un is here, and Chou Garyuu is here… But where did the Chou Haku army go?' He'd seen that the Sei Chou army had not stopped at any cities on their march to meet them.
"Was it ever reported that the Chou Haku army stayed back to guard the northern regions?" Ko Shou asked the person again.
"No, the information on them is only rumours… Some say they went back to guard the border against Yan, some say they guarded the north, and others say they went to reinforce Ren Pa. However, no Zhao reinforcements were sent to Ren Pa."
'They could have gone to Yan, our spies and scouts wouldn't have been able to gain anything from there. But that doesn't feel right…'
"Do we know who it was at the Yan border?"
"Zhao's Great General Ko Shou, a young General called Shiba Shou, was named as his vice General." The eyes of Ko Shou widened.
'The noise is a distraction, I'm damn sure of it, and they're serving as a distraction for…' His thoughts were cut off by the sound of a horse galloping towards him.
"URGENT REPORT!" The man shouted with all his might.
"A new army has been spotted going around both the right and left flanks! The flags are not ours! They're-"
Ko Shou cut the man off, "Chou Haku and Shuu." He said matter-of-factly, and to certify his answer, both armies' vanguard appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield. The flank that appeared from Shou Hei Kun's side of battle charged towards the Oukotsu headquarters, before half of them broke off and swung back around.
The troops that appeared from Chou Garyuu's side did the same, but with more troops breaking off to spin around and smash directly into the backs of the Qin soldiers. The troops that were charging for the main headquarters raised their flags, and the name written was "CHOU"
Around Ko Shou, men flew into panic, but the Great General stayed calm, "Begin to sound the gong of retreat, and two of you messengers rush over to Shou Hei Kun." He ordered quickly and clearly, receiving nods from some of the men who'd managed to keep their wits about them.
Two messengers raced off on fresh horses. Ko Shou watched them go before bitterly remarking, "This battle is lost."
CHAPTER DONE