The Seizing of Jiang Xia!

[Liu Bei]

In Jiang Ling..

Liu Bei appears, a grand army of men and supplies behind him. He grasps the reigns of his horse, his armor shining in the rising sun as his eyes hold fast to the gates of Jiang Ling.. Bo Ru is there to greet him, and open the gates quickly.

"My lord Xuande, your edict?"

Shibo then appears, nodding to his lord as he prepares his armor and quickly covers his body with it.

"We are marching, you there, tell Fa Zheng that he and his generals will follow us. Guan Yu will make the vanguard.. Come, we are moving on."

They both nod and march on with their lord toward Jiang Xia..

[Fa Zheng]

The strategist in question was certainly not far behind. Having being given the prefecture of Jiang Ling, Fa Zheng's troops were always going to be a fairly vital part of the march on Jiang Xia, the city adjacent. Laying to the west, it had been brutally seized by Lord Sun Ce not long ago, after the tigers of Wu had cunningly taken advantage of a momentary lapse of strength from Liu Bei. But now, the chosen ruler was marching to claim what was rightfully his, once more. Fa Zheng was only too happy to aid his new lord, eager to prove his eternal loyalty by succeeding in battle at the first attempt, but was also cautiously wary. It was his first time in action since Liu Bei's attack on Cheng Du, and he had been on the losing side there, his confidence taking a considerable knock in the process. Even so, he was determined that history would not repeat itself here, only in the way that Shu would emerge victorious. And this time, he, Fa Zheng, would assuredly be on the winning side.

Having received the swiftest of messages from Shibo, instructing him to mobilise his armies at once, Fa Zheng had acted quickly, having already been heading for the barracks. His troops were well rested since they had arrived at the city of Jiang Ling, and they were eager to move out once again, now truly getting some battle experience. Many of them were simple militia, who had little idea regarding the brutality of war, and the horrific nature of death. But the first battle was often a vital step in the development of a soldier, and if they survived their first skirmish, it often proved to be that they survived many more after that. Fa Zheng was quietly confident that his strategies and leadership would aid his troops in winning the day, and with his comrades at his sides, he certainly felt far more assured. Lord Zhang Song and General Guan Yu would undoubtedly be arriving behind him shortly, and Shao Jiang was already riding swiftly along with the troops, as they marched towards the city that would soon become a battlefield, projecting the tides of war. Jiang Xia.

Shu, and Wu. The first blood of the war would surely be spilt here, and even Fa Zheng couldn't predict the eventual outcome.

[Zhang Song]

Zhang Song had gotten the word to moblize, and did so from Jiang Ling, but not before ordering his troops to cut down a large tree outside of the city, making into an impromtu ram, his Skrimishers carried the log on their shoulders, and his swords men acted as flank guards, the milita postioned in the rear, Song didn't want them in combat if he could prevent it. Song's army, with the Tree-Ram now added. marched towards Jiang Xia

[Páng Tǒng]

Trotting along, two horses side by side.

Guan Shao and Pang Tong, two of Shu's most vibrant characters, trotted along, seemingly alone. As they crested a small hill, passing a village after seducing their women folk, they saw the armies of Shu gathering upon Jiang Xia...

Damn... Looks like we'll have to help here, Shao.

Indeed, lord Tong.

Well... lets go then.

The two broke their trot and began a steady run. Cresting the hill behind, came the multitudes of Tong's men, included his extremely effective Mounted Bowmen unit. They trotted, their bows knocked and ready, to kill anything their lord commanded, their discreet cowled ways almost foreign for Chinese standards...

As they came upon, Tong motioned for Shao to see to the army's well being.

Riding forward, he came upon Liu Bei, Shibo, and Bo Ru...

So... Lord Bei... The Virtuous leader strikes first, eh? Well then, I'll have to take the blame for this one... Can't go marring your reputation, eh Lord Bei?

[Liu Bei]

"Of course Master Tong, I would see it no other way.."

Jokes Liu Bei as he eyes the odd man, his bodyguard just behind him, trotting off into the distance. Bo Ru is by Liu Bei, his guan duo hanging off of his horse as he held a large sword, eying the distant sun, and what hid behind it.

"Lord, the sun is quite ominous, we should continue to assault the city."

"Order Zhang Song to prepare to march to the gates. Tong, make your way to the south, or my right. Move quickly, but do not over shadow my brother of the van. Quickly, make haste or deal with the repercussions of my blade, one that you should fear more than your enemy's!"

Bo Ru runs off and relays the orders to Zhang Song..


((AWWW f***, just noticed I spelled the name of the thread wrong. ))

[Páng Tǒng]

Tong nods.

Returning to his ally, Guan Shao, he nods. Shao raises a war fan, and the men fall into position...

B-B-MB-Sw-Sp
B-B-MB-Sw-Sp
B-B-MB-Sw-Sp
B-B-MB-Sw-Sp
B-B-MB-Sw-Sp
B-B-MB-Sw-Sp

As they moved, they fell into line with the Vanguard, under Guan Yu. The men were restless, yet still. Tong stood at their head, Guan Shao ready next to him. Tong turned around, and looked at his men. 170 Horses stood at the back, behind the two Bowmen lines, unused, but ready to be used by anyone.

Listen. We have to win this. I have it written, that this day shall be ours. Okay? So, honestly. Do your best. And, well, lets go...

The men gave a cheer, which was quickly suppressed. They readied for their attack.

[Sun Ce]

(You want me to RP the resistance, then?)

[Liu Bei]

(It's scripted, why bother, you know? Though, if your up to it..)

[Sun Ce]

Meh. I'll get around to it.

[Fa Zheng]

As his men reached the battlefield, Fa Zheng immediately ground to a halt on his steed, and raised his arm up behind him, signalling to his troops that they should halt. Whilst Shao Jiang moved up and down the lines of men, ensuring that they had their equipment attached properly, the bucklers fixed securely to their arms. After a moment of reflection, looking out over the sprawling plains before them, Zheng called Jiang to the fore of the formation. He arrived swiftly, reigning his horse in as he slid to a halt next to his master.

"Yes, Lord Fa Zheng?"

"Are you ready, Shao Jiang? Look at those plains, the city walls, the lake of glittering jewels. Take it all in."

The strategist urged his steed around so that Jiang could reflect upon things himself. It might seem foolhardy and a waste of time, but Zheng knew that it was the young warrior's first battle, too- and underneath the bravado of competent troop leadership, the strategist knew full well that he would be tense. A moment of simply looking out at the landscape beyond him would surely help settle the nerves. The footsoldiers behind them, grasping their varied weapons nervous, now only in a loose formation not suited for battle, also craned their necks to the left, looking at the lake. The surface was truly magnificent, glittering a beautifully striking blue, aided by the rays of sunlight that beamed down from on high. Zheng had already looked at the lake, but had seen it as simply a potential use to their siege of the city- it saddened him how he was forced to think of natural beauty as a tool of man, rather than simply appreciating the beauty that it offered to them. But, this is what a time of war brought, he supposed. After a time, Shao Jiang turned back, his face still the same as it had been, but he seemed noticeably calmer, and more at ease. He exaled deeply, and nodded to Jiang, who smiled slightly back, yet again seeming beyond relaxed.

"Very well, then. It seems that we are ready."

"Ready? To go where?"

Fa Zheng pointed over to the eastern direction, where all other units rested.

"Well, observe the current battlefield. Lord Pang Tong is commanding the far right flank, with his mounted bows and the like. Lord Liu Bei is holding the center, whilst our friend Zhang Song is just in front of him. And whilst a position of the vanguard needs to be filled, I hardly think that it is us. No, we must hold the left, and we should get into position now. But first...bow to Lord Liu Bei!"

He raised his voice significantly, for once, so that the soldiers behind him could hear him. The two officers simply slipped out of their saddles and bowed, saluting with both hands- and the soldiers behind them followed suit, nearly one thousand soldiers bowing to the lord that they hoped would guide them to supreme glory- the lord that they were willing to fight to the death for. Fa Zheng, following the gesture of loyalty, jumped back into his seat, and waved his soldiers forward slightly. His unit crept along the riverbank to the left, until they were in line with Pang Tong's unit on the far side, making a formation of symmetry. Jiang and Zheng then went back and examined the troops, getting them swiftly into formation. Zheng positioned his bowmen at the back, several scattering around to the flanks, and had the spears at the front. The swords mostly remained at the flanks. Though it was slightly untidy right now, Jiang felt comfortable with the formation- he could switch his frontline troops accordingly, and besides, he was primarily a defensive general. As such, every single soldier that he possessed had a buckler strapped to their arm- and they certainly knew how to use it.

The force of Fa Zheng were certainly ready.

[Guan Yu]

Guan Yu, after hastily leaving Jiang Ling with his troops, is ordered to leave the vanguard, a role of honour in Guan Yu's eyes.... He did well to catch up to leave Jiang Ling after practically just arriving, yet he could not delay, this battle was the most important of Shu's since Cheng Du, he would not miss this battle. He had his 250 Swordmen in the middle of his forces, and his 350 mounted spearmen on the outside, being ready to move quickly without having to move through the swordmen. The militia were at the back, keeping them out of battle until armed, they would have to take a dead ally's weapon if they wished to survive an attack on the rear. The battle was short to begin, his men were high in morale, they were confident that they would win this battle, having Wu attempting to take Xu Chang from Wei's hands, Shu's victory was almost certain, the Wu defence force would be too weak to withstand... Maybe. He then remained quiet and kept on marching with his forces.

[Zhang Song]

Song's men had taken a break when Bo Ru approched him, relaying the information that Liu Bei gave him, Song brushed his hair back slightly, looking towards the city of Jiang Xia in the distance. the city held great importance for the Shu-Han kingdom and the war on Wu. Drawing first blood agianst the Wu forces would give their army a morale boost and show the world their power. Song's troops were postioned on the road, directly infront of them was the gate of Jiang Xia and his orders were to open the gate. Song turned to his troops, raising his spear above his head

"Men! The Heavens have sided with Lord Liu Bei. Victory is ours, and the land will be soon unified, and our first step towards Unification is the taking of Jiang Xia! We have been given the honor of making the first strike on the city, we will break down the pathetic excuse of a gate and march into the city. This is not a war on the people, so there will be no plundering of pillaging of the towns folk, we will fight only if we meet resistance! We March!

With that, 100 of Song's Skrimisher's picked up the log, on either side of them, the 100 light swordsmen were to act as flank guards, behind the battering ram was the remaining skrimishers, armed with their Javalines, were to act as a rear guard and provide fire support. Zhang Song himself was between the ram and the rear-guard skrimishers, his milita troops were on either side of him. with a wave of his spear, his troop marched foward, towards the city.

[Huang Zhong]

*As the siege of Jiang Xia was slowly beginning to get a real form, a cloud of dust can be seen coming from the west. No-one of the Shu Forces is able to see who or what is creating the dust, but just at the moment that the first few men have decided to warn their leaders, the banners of Shu can be seen coming out of the cloud of dust. On one of the banners is written 'Golden Tiger General, Huang Zhong', something that most certainly would comfort the Shu Forces. As fast as he can, Huang Zhong thus leads his troops to the battle of Jiang Xia. Offcourse, the attention of the Wu Forces is drawn to Xu Chang, as almost everyone knows, and thus a simple victory can be predicted here today. But you may never know...*

*Huang Zhong quickly searches the field with his hawk eyes and quickly finds the banners of his Lord Liu Bei, ruler of the Shu Kingdom. He and his men hasten their pace, seeing their destination within reach and within several minutes, the fairly small group of troops join up with the main army of Liu Bei. Wu Zheng is given command over the forces, as Huang Zhong rides through the ranks of Liu Bei to find his master, something that doesn't take too long. When near Liu Bei, Huang Zhong bows deeply, while sitting on his steed.*

"Lord Liu Bei! When I heard you were here, I got here as fast as I could. I have brought all my forces with me here, to aid you in every way I can."

*Huang Zhong then looks to the city walls and the movement of the Shu Forces around it. Zhang Song seems to be in control of breaking the gate open. Huang Zhong quickly scopes the top of the city walls, not finding anything that even looks like a defence force. As far Huang Zhong knows, the city was empty, save it's citizens.*

"My lord... The city seems too quiet. Will General Zhang Song not be too open for a trap?"

[Páng Tǒng]

Pang Tong went up behind him...

Indeed, ol' Zhong. Lord Bei, if it would please you, may I offer, no, hint, that sending a scouting party in first, comprised of fast moving militiamen, to see if there is any actual traps.

I mean... I'd hate to see Song get hurt, honestly I would...

[Liu Bei]

"Nonsense, with the power of the trained sons of Shu, we must fear nothing! Take your infantry regiments quickly, I will be behind you with my horsemen. Make haste lord Huang! Pang Tong, I will have you scout the south, I fear Wu has already caught wind of our assualt. Hurry, your unit will need this."

Liu Bei turns around, grasping his mens attention with his sword, that he holds in his right, his left hand holds tightly to his horses reigns as he parades down the lines.

"Shibo to the Pikemen! Jiang, to the light swords! Bo Ru, cut through the enemy with the axemen for you will be my guard! Mounted archers, on me!!"

Says Liu Bei as his horse turns in a flurry of hair and neighing, racing off as his cavalry follow him in lines. Each man holds a bow and prepares for combat, notching their first shot. The Axemen move to their left, just a bit ahead of them. The pikemen are in front of Bei's unit, Shibo wielding his spear along with them. Sun Jiang takes to Shibo's right flank with his light swords. They are prepared to gain entrance into the city..

A large thud sounds the door cracking under pressure, Zhang Song's several attack breaking it down. People grace in the streets, happy for their returning lord, the thud noting when they would speak up. Units began to move, wheels began to turn..