Attack on Zu Yanghei (Sai)

[Li Dao Wen]

The Ogre's eyes sharpened in distinct pleasure, and a curving, knifing smile appeared against Jiang's frown lines. That she accepted what she knew was more than a fateful decision, it was a wise choice. Despite his reputation for being a rather convincing talker, he had hardly expected a yes from the beleaguered woman, and he was more prepared to dish out his own response to refusal. Having her agree to his own conditions was almost stunning; despite the condition she required, it was the mere thought of this woman in his palace, in his room, in his bed, that catered to his current attention.

"A future Queen need not dirty her hands with further affairs involving bloodshed. You shall stay with me at all times, but you shall never hold a sword in battle again if that is your wish," he replied, a noticeable calm having overcome his mood. "If you wish to dabble in civil affairs within my domains , then I leave that up to you as well. But for your immediate task as my new bride, I shall present you to the rest of the world as my woman."

Again, Xun Jiang bellowed for the guards to come and open the doors, which was immediately done. If he is permitted, the Ogre helped Ding Yi to her feet by scooping her up from the floor and bringing her out of the labyrinth into the kissing warmth of the sun. It was only then when he set her down, confident that she wouldn't try to run.

It was then that he recalled having forgotten something, but could not quite put his finger on what he had wanted to do. He Qi thus escapes his grasp, his attention; perhaps they are never to meet face to face, but there would never be another time when he'd be stopped from roaring out to any challenges thrown at him. It was simply a despicable thought.

Looking down at Ding Yi, he observed her features and her expressions, burying them into his mind. He had similarly felt attraction before, to a very provocative woman who featured great importance to their cause. But Tai Ju Ll was a world of her own; now he had found someone far less confusing and far less bewildering. "You are entitled to anything you wish, save leaving this camp. You may also visit other prisoners, perhaps even talk them into surrendering to our cause. Do whatever you wish, but do not leave this camp."

A hand found itself grazing over her hair, not ruffling it, but stroking it. The metal gauntlets he wore must have been uncomfortable, but he minded not. "Tomorrow we depart on a tour of Sai; then you'll see that we men of Chu are not as monstrous as rumored to be, that we do not slaughter civilians wholesale."

[Meia]

Xun Jiang of course was able to lift the lady with ease. The almost explosive rush in his action caught her off guard, and Yi was in his arms before she could barely make a gasp. As he carried her through the stuffy and twisting dungeon, her head leaned lightly against his armour.

Her body perked a little when it finally met the sunlight. It was a welcome feeling. Her eyes flickered and narrowed against the glare, then she stretched her palm out and raised her hand toward the much-appreciated warmth. A small smile was beginning to form on her parched lips, when she noticed of the shadow of her own hand. For a while Yi observed the shadow as it followed the movement of her hant, deep in thought. The hint of a smile gave way to a neutral, even stoic, expression. Her reverie was disrupted when the heavily-armoured man began to set her down on her feet. Still feeling rather light-headed, Yi fell back to lean against the wall behind, taking a moment to gather herself.

Yi did not react to his words regarding the other prisoners. She was not prepared to step near a cell nor persuade others to join Ma Dieu. She could only hope that her captured comrades would at least have a chance to leave with their lives.

By this time Ding Yi appeared much calmer than the time Xun saw her in the cell, although she did fidget when he stroked her hair. She was unsure why he had chosen to set her down in this spot, or where to go from there. Not making a step from the spot he had put her, the lady drew her arm protectively over her chest and cast darted glances around the campgrounds, clearly apprehensive about wandering among the many soldiers and guards in unfamiliar territory. With a degree of dread, she passed a fleeting, sheepish glance at the Black Orge. Likely she would follow him, perhaps to meet up with his liege or comrades, for whether she liked it or not, he was all that she knew here.

[Li Dao Wen]

Ding Yi's body language was more than subtle enough for Xun Jiang to instantly realize, and a smile creased through his lips. "I thought you would have liked to roam around freely," he told her, more than certain that not one soul in the camp would dare touch the Black Ogre's bride. Then again, he realized they didn't know that yet, and the thought made him shake his head in amusement at himself.

Jiang looked over to his own tent, not far from that of Ma Dieu; a simple pavilion that carried personal effects such as banners and his other weapons, as well as other provisions. He started to move towards it, knowing that she would follow. He spoke to her without looking back, his deep, baritone voice possessing an almost soothing quality to it. "Would you like to clean yourself up? I shall have some female attendants take care of you, if you wish."

Not waiting for an answer, the moment they arrived inside, he immediately set about his offer, ordering some servants to fetch a large basin, ointments, more bandages, scrubs, and perfumed oils. Everything was set up behind a set of painted panels large enough to accommodate five people.

With the other ladies standing by in bowing positions, Xun Jiang turned to Ding Yi, obviously preparing to leave her presence to wait outside. "You have the liberty of employing these attendants to aid you in your bath, or you can do so in complete privacy. I leave that up to you. I shall be outside."

He only waited for awhile before he stepped out.

[Phailak]

When the Black Ogre had exited with the woman known as Ding Yi, he waited to be noticed before satisfying his curiosity. When both failed to do so and Lai witnessed what seem like awkward affection, he held back and waited for an opportunity.

He was patient, waiting outside the tent of the deadly warrior, all the while smiling. When he did finally come out, he made sure his old friend caught his gaze this time.

"I was worried you would of carried He Qi's head from that prisoner's camp, not a woman. It is unacceptable how these officials were treated, I hope they, she, can understand one day the chaos that reigns in such a campaign. Surely my brother will be livid when he learns of their condition..."

Lai kept smiling despite the serious nature of the discussion. He knew his friend cared little for a prisoner of war's comfort but he also knew the big man was not responsible for setting up the prisoner camps. And so Lai waited to see if the fearsome man would share something with him or not. Either way, it was obvious Lai waited for him to go to meet Ma Dieu about the post battle affairs.

[Li Dao Wen]

There was little surprise in Jiang's face when Fei Lai walked up to him for a chat. Xun Jiang had earlier caught glimpse of the Duke sulking about within the dungeons. From the looks of him, he had been busy berating the wardens, but he had not ventured to bother him because he thought the esteemed minister had been busy with other affairs, as he was. It almost made him laugh, how this prize of a strategist had been silently waiting for him to notice like a shy little girl. Indeed he has noticed, but addressing him had been a second thought until now.

Reminding Xun Jiang of He Qi would have been a bad decision on Fei's part, had he not been in a good mood. Thanks to Ding Yi's acceptance of his proposal, he was feeling quite smug with himself, too smug to kill that red-faced bastard He Qi, even. "A general for my woman. It's a good thought. She's a fine girl who would make a fine bride," he told Fei, his eyes a picture of sheer bliss. He rightfully had reason to be; he was someone had just captured a magnificent prize. "As for that He Qi character, make sure I never see his face Fei, I might just smash it in when I get the chance."

He looked towards King Ma's tent, the biggest and most glorious in the camp, fitting for the legendary conqueror that he had become. "Fei, I never got the chance to... thank you and King Ma for taking me in. Heh. Who would have thought we'd come this far?" He swung his halberd

It was then that he remembered all that he had been before, and all the companions he had lost along the way. Brash and selfish as he was, he somewhat wished that they could be here to share in the glory. His mind drifted to the Kijo for a good few moments then.

The Black Ogre looked upon his friend. "You're waiting for me to go with you to King Ma? I am waiting for my new bride to finish, I shall be with you shortly, if you will. The prisoners' fate can wait; I'm sure that the King will just release them as he always does."

[Phailak]

Lai looked on with interest and surprised, peaked at the word bride.

"Well my friend, if you can find happiness, that is reassuring. My brother's ambitions for the land and the Emperor should end shortly, victory or defeat at this stage should be final. I will leave you with your bride, you are both welcome when you have the time, I hope to not miss how my brother will judge Han Xin, the man is a threat and has opposed us twice now..."

As he turned to leave, Lai launched

"I assume you wish to make your woman a Queen, choose your lands wisely old friend since I doubt my brother can refuse you anything."

Shaking his head, Lai entered the main command tent.

[Meia]

Yi waited for him to leave the tent and close the flap entrance behind him. Perhaps it was only then that the reality begun to sink in: She was about to wed the Black Ogre, who terrorised and killed many in the battlefield and crushed many armies, including Zu Yanghei's. Once again she found herself choking on tears. Despite that she had quite literally been cornered to accept the proposal, she wondered.. What if she should have refused? Would that have been the 'right' decision? Her thoughts turned to her father.. would he agree to the choice she had made..? "Forgive me, Father" she whispered a prayer to him and the Bayi villagers in Yan, then cried quietly for a moment.

Since accepting the unprecedented proposal, the fearsome Orge had so far shown a degree of cordialness. Yi wondered how long that would last, for she could not discredit the fact that he was a dangerous man. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears off her face, silently telling herself to be strong, vowing to make good of her decision. Walking up to the side of the basin, she dis-robed and slipped into the floral-scented water, letting the maids wash the grime, dirt and sweat off her body.

Several minutes later, Ding Yi emerged from the tent in a fresh white robe of simple design, perhaps the best dress the maids could find under such short notice. Apart from it being slightly too long with the hem dragging against the ground, the robe overall provided a snug and comfortable fit. Her skin looked fair and radiant after the thorough wash. Apart from a single black hairpin holding her long dark hair in place, she wore no other adornments; her jewelry and books having been confiscated during her capture. One of the maids bowed before Xun Jiang and informed that his lady had finished her bath. Yi stood a few feet behind them, unsmilingly awaiting his next instructions.

[Zhao Ren]

Not even the finest mare could have saved Mei Ji. Where was there to run when the entire army had been flanked - almost encircled?

When news had arrived about the invasion of his homeland by Chu yet again, the Marshal of Qin was furious. He would not allow Sai to fall to the sword and torch once again! Though he was sent off to war by the Marquis of Sai, Xiangzhi was disappointed to hear that he would be under the command of the newly appointed Supreme Commander, a man by the name of Yi Guang. Xiangzhi did not even know who this man was, but he was displeased that he was not even to be given a separate command. What upset the veteran commander even more was that Yi Guang had the gall to order him to the rear, denying the Flying General the honor of joining in the melee. Still, biting back the venom that was boiling beneath, Mei Ji gave his superior a crisp salute and went off to find the small detachment of cavalry he was assigned to lead.

As Mei Ji galloped ahead of his men astride the fine Xiongnu mare that he had captured years before, he noticed something rather queer in the distance. What banners were those, riding toward the men of Duke Han? Mei Ji narrowed his eyes and, with a distinctly unfamiliar sense of fear, he realized just whom those banners were for: officers of the men of Chu. Immediately Xiangzhi leaped into action, barking orders to the small number of cavalrymen he had been given. Drawing his sword, Mei Ji signaled the wing of cavalry to form ranks. Though they were severely outnumbered by the enemy's flanking forces, they would fight boldly nonetheless. They were men of Qin, emboldened by the horrors inflicted upon them by the Hegemon King many years ago, they would not allow Xianyang and the Land Between the Passes to suffer that way again.

Unfortunately, even had the fates smiled upon Mei Ji, it was a suicidal effort. The attack of a couple hundred men at best against a detachment of several thousand was one always made in vain. Mei Ji knew that, but for pride and fear, he had thrown discretion to the winds. The clash of sword upon sword, the thundering of many horses riding against each other, all was deafening. As Mei Ji hacked and slashed away at the enemy horsemen, he soon found himself overwhelmed. What could one man do against half a dozen or more? Parrying off the blows as best he could, relying entirely upon both instinct and the training of his youth, Mei Ji could not keep up. Soon Xiangzhi found something lodged in his armor near his right shoulder? A billhook! Before Mei Ji could react, he was dragged off his horse, a captive of the armies of Chu...

OOC: RP for my captors, the dirty Chu dogs.

[Li Dao Wen]

Phailak and Meia

The Black Ogre smiled grimly, content with the promise behind his old friend's obvious choice of words. Tt was simply an indication, a statement, that harbored not only the title of King, but rulership of any land he wished to have, save for Chu itself. Ambitious as he was, he never realized how quickly he would be able to realize his ultimate dream. He may never had had the chance to destroy XIang Yu's Chu personally, but it paled in comparison to the unprecedented events unfolding before his eyes. He was to be a King very soon; the warrior-king, as opposed to the conqueror-king of Chu Ma Dieu, and the strategist-king, Fei Lai.

He nodded eagerly to Fei as he left for Dieu's tent, then spent the rest of his attention on waiting for his new Queen. His choice for a domain would most probably depend on Ding Yi's opinion; as early as now he's making good on his promise to settle her in as the matron of his domains. It was not a bad fate for a defeated, captured general, he had thought smugly, one that would ensure the continuation of his progeny, the management of his lands, and the spreading of his line for hundreds of years more.

A long-lasting dyansty of Black Ogres, wearing his armor and wielding his halberd long after his death; it appealed to him immensely.

When Ding Yi was ready, he ducked into the fabric of the tent to gaze at her. The sight of her being so clean, fragrant and well-dressed was quite sensual, and for a moment he contemplated on getting right to the business of having her fulfill her promise. But affairs of state, no matter how boring, was always to have priority over personal pleasures. Where the Black Ogre, the tremendous murderer and fiend borne out of the scum pools of the Old Chu, got this sense of responsibility was a mystery.

"Magnificent job, ladies," he congratulated the women before him, upon which the maidservants bowed in response. He quickly noticed the flecks of red on Ding Yi's eyes and her stoic demeanor, but it mattered little; soon enough she would realize that she wasn't as worse off as she was obviously thinking. His eyes fixated on her fine figure, his smile grew somewhat gentler. "As for you, you will accompany me to King Ma's tent, Lady Ding Yi."

Without looking back to see if she's behind him, he moved out of the tent once more, gracing the open with his thick figure and towering stature. He was a conspicuous dot in the distance from any angle, easily towering over the more of less average Chu soldier. As he walked to Ma Dieu's tent, he trailed a question for Ding Yi. "I have been given my choice of land to rule. Which one requires your heart's attention, milady?" Of course, he knew that there would be reservations, even resistance to the thought of him ruling over DIng Yi's native land, but he would have gone anywhere she pointed him to, whether closer or away to that land.

Only spotting a few moments for her consumption once more, he entered Ma Dieu's tent, where the congregation of Chu's mighty generals was already holding court. As usual, the King of Chu was sitting on a simple chair, nothing you can call a throne, with Fei Lai beside him. the council was there, headed by Prime Minsiter Fan Zeng, and the rest of the generals were also present. "I am here, ladies and gentlemen. But before I address anything that needed my attention, let it be known that this woman," he paused then took hold of Ding Yi firmly and led her beside him. "this former general of Qin, Lady Ding Yi, has agreed to be my bride. Give her your respect and you shall have mine."

Each and every one of the men and women within the tent knew the consequences of not getting his respect, and so he confidently secured the thought that they would all comply.A future King demands it.


Zhao Ren

No doubt the Marshal of Qin would have found the concentration camp setup even more disconcerting than the loss he had just suffered at the hands of Chu; it was dark, moist, and every now and then something would slither beneath one's toes. There was a pervading sense of decay, of impending death hanging over the prisoners' heads. And no matter where you turn, there was no escaping it. Their fates belonged to the word of Ma Dieu.

After a whole day's worth of languishing in prison, Mei Ji finally got company in the form of his jailor, who was quickly unlocking his cell. "We have orders from the King of Chu for you to be brought to his presence," he spoke in a stiff voice, then waved for him to follow, leaving the cell's door open. It would have been foolhardy to try to escape, for the place was a veritable labyrinth prowled by guards at every corner.

A few minutes later and the Flying General would be breathing in the sun again, his hands left unbound due to his stature as a general of prominence. He was led to Ma Dieu's tent, where the jailor flapped open the tent for him to go on. The Chu congregation and his fellow prisoners awaited the Mei Ji; he was the last one out, judging by the multitude of men arrayed before the King and his generals.

Mei Ji arrived just in time to hear the news that he had been set free, along with every other prisoner save for three: Ding Yi, who had been taken by the Black Ogre, and Han Xin and Guan Ying, who face the executioner's blade.

[Meia]

....
"Magnificent job, ladies," he congratulated the women before him, upon which the maidservants bowed in response. He quickly noticed the flecks of red on Ding Yi's eyes and her stoic demeanor, but it mattered little; soon enough she would realize that she wasn't as worse off as she was obviously thinking. His eyes fixated on her fine figure, his smile grew somewhat gentler. "As for you, you will accompany me to King Ma's tent, Lady Ding Yi."

Without looking back to see if she's behind him, he moved out of the tent once more, gracing the open with his thick figure and towering stature. He was a conspicuous dot in the distance from any angle, easily towering over the more of less average Chu soldier. As he walked to Ma Dieu's tent, he trailed a question for Ding Yi. "I have been given my choice of land to rule. Which one requires your heart's attention, milady?" Of course, he knew that there would be reservations, even resistance to the thought of him ruling over DIng Yi's native land, but he would have gone anywhere she pointed him to, whether closer or away to that land.

With a muted sigh, Ding Yi nodded slightly and followed Xiang Jun, keeping a short distance behind him while they walked. She was dumbfounded when he asked for her opinion on the land he would rule. Clearly she had not expected to be posed this question, having been forced to make a life-changing decision only a while ago, and in fact still reeling from its consequence. Furthermore, she was not used to making such important and calculated choices, content to leave such matters to her superiors and play a supportive role in the cause. Despite this, her upbringing prompted her to speak when spoken to, and answer whenever asked a question. Yi contemplated staying here, in Sai, to rebuild the city. But to her, Sai is forever changed, and she could not bear the guilt of inhabiting the domain which was once her Lord-Scholar's. "Anywhere but here.." Yi replied. Of that she was certain. But she struggled to provided anything more specific. She was not well-travelled, and did not know much of Ma Dieu's conquests throughout the the land. There was a moment's quiet, with only the sound of rustling grass under then duo's feet. Still rather fearful of really conversing with the imposing man, Yi hesistently queried, "W..Where are you from..?"

Only spotting a few moments for her consumption once more, he entered Ma Dieu's tent, where the congregation of Chu's mighty generals was already holding court. As usual, the King of Chu was sitting on a simple chair, nothing you can call a throne, with Fei Lai beside him. the council was there, headed by Prime Minsiter Fan Zeng, and the rest of the generals were also present. "I am here, ladies and gentlemen. But before I address anything that needed my attention, let it be known that this woman," he paused then took hold of Ding Yi firmly and led her beside him. "this former general of Qin, Lady Ding Yi, has agreed to be my bride. Give her your respect and you shall have mine."

Each and every one of the men and women within the tent knew the consequences of not getting his respect, and so he confidently secured the thought that they would all comply.A future King demands it.

Ding Yi tensed when the Orge pulled her close to him, keeping still as much as possible. Her cheeks blushed red and her heart began to race, with a mix of embarrassment and confusion. There were so many people..what could they be thinking of her and of the Orge's brash words? Looking rather uncomfortable in Xun's vice-like grip, Yi looked around trying to spot the man known as Ma Dieu, the conquerer.