YAN HEADQUARTERS
The main camp of Great General Chi Ketsu or Xun Qu seemed serene; the Yan army had scored a major victory on the first day of battle. With one of their own, General Li Shun, cutting down the Zhao General Kou. Though for someone so experienced in warfare, Great General Chi Ketsu was still awake.
His invasion of Zhao was going smoothly; the plans he had laid out before the battle started were all succeeding. However, he knew that no plan was 100% certain. The State of Zhao was currently were weak, and his Yan were on the rise.
Was it not Great General Gaku Ki or Yue Yi, the Military God, who was so famed for being able to turn a battle on its head at the worst times for the enemy and the best times for his allies? Chi Ketsu had fought side by side with Gaku Ki on many occasions and witnessed his own warfare.
Even as the Zhao General Chou Haku was not a remarkable man, the Yan Great General still kept his guard up.
"There has to be more, or is it that I am just overestimating Zhao?" Had he just shown Zhao more pride than they were worth? The only thing that seemed to happen was a few raids and the death of some thousand-man commanders. There were no problems for the Yan army, which currently had high morale.
The morning sun had finally come up, and his men were readying to crush the Zhao on the second day of battle. To end this battle and continue their war against Zhao, "The Qin reached Kantan. I do not want to reach that far, but we can push back the entire eastern region."
That was the aim of Chi Ketsu; he desired to take the eastern region from Zhao and have it back in Yan's hands.
His tent flapped open and in walked General Shuu who had command of the left flank, "My Lord, I bring word from the scouts. Your nephew has left Hau City and is bringing the entire 20,000 garrison with him." The words were so confusing to Chi Ketsu that he paused.
"...My nephew did what?" Was his only reply, "My Lord, he left Hau City and is making his way here in haste. The city is currently undefended." General Shuu of Yan surmised.
Chi Ketsu sighed, "I asked him to sit in Hau City and protect our rear so we can have a retreat route, we are not allowed to lose Hau City as it contains our rations and supplies… All he had to do was to protect the supplies!" Chi Ketsu started to fume, as he thought it over.
"The fool… The damn fool." General Shuu watched on in silence, "My Lord, is the plan still to crush the Zhao today?" Only asking a question once his Great General's anger had calmed. Chi Ketsu shook his head, "No, I must find out why my nephew has made this decision."
Once Chi Ketsu finds out why his nephew a General of Yan left the City undefended, he would turn his entire army around and retreat to Hau City.
….
MAIN ZHAO CAMP
General Chou Haku was in a gloomy mood, to not being able to defend Zhao in its time of need was as damning as anything. He understood just what would happen should the Yan army get past his own and be able to run riot against the defended eastern border. General Chou Haku also knew the Zhao King and royal court's patience was thin enough to remove Great Heaven Ren Pa from command.
The traditional General had come into the war with only 50,000 troops under his command, and by the time the first day ended and night came, a whole flank was crushed, and the other was hanging by a thread.
He had 14,000 dead with a further 10,000 casualties. 8,000 of the 10,000 casualties were heavily injured to the point they could only just stand if pushed further. (Zhao ARE DOWN 28,000.)
Just one day, all this happened in one day of battle proper. Everything had gone up in smoke; whatever plan he had or had not thought up was dashed. The Yan still had at least 70,000 (Chou Haku's estimation), just waiting to tear chunks out of his army. His own army was near the brink of destruction, with only 28,000 relatively fresh soldiers.
Should he retreat, the King of Zhao and the court would make an example of him. So, as the men lined up for the next day, he resigned himself to either demotion or execution when he reached the capital after this enormous loss.
However, contrary to what he believed, the Yan army began to turn around and form an orderly retreat. General Chou Haku of Zhao could not believe his eyes, 'Yan had them outnumbered, and they're the ones on the retreat?!' He had to blink three times to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. 'This made no sense!'
He wished to pursue and reduce their numbers, even if just a few. But he stopped himself, thinking the Great General of Yan Chi Ketsu had placed a trap in his retreat. He needed more information. 'Why were the Yan retreating?' He asked himself.
That's when he saw out of the corner of his eye a small unit approaching all under one flag. The flag was red and gold with black writing that read "JING". General Chou Haku only thought about it for a moment, the confusion clearing as he remembered the young commander Sei Chou in his army and the flags they used.
The boy had studied under the Great Heaven Rin Shou Jo. General Chou Haku was happy to have the boy in his army and had thought the boy was also a casualty of General Kou's foolhardy charge.
Seeing the flag brought on some shock, but more intrigue than anything, because it would mean Sei Chou had not died.
The unit as a whole bowed before an average in height man stepped forwards, "Commander in Chief, My Lord Sei Chou has tallied the remaining survivors of the left flank and made a night raid to steal Yan army armour along with their flags and rations.
He then launched an assault on Hau City and has conquered the city. Currently, there is no other force other than my Lord, currently sitting in Hau City, awaiting General Chou Haku to come and join him. He asks the Commander in Chief Chou Haku of Zhao to aid him and bear witness to Zhao's mighty triumph."
Only silence as those who heard it stared wide-eyed at the messenger's words, they all, to a man, could not believe just how far Sei Chou had gone and what he had managed to do with a single unit. 'HE DID WHAT?!!!!' General Chou Haku fought to keep his expression neutral, but in his mind, shock, awe and horror warred.
Moving on pure instinct, he turned to General Shuu, "Quickly inform all of the soldiers to chase after the retreating figures of the Yan. We are to pay them back double what they inflicted on us."
The Yan will pay for the humiliation they had brought onto him; they would pay for leaving their lands and trying to snatch up what was Zhao's. Chou Haku would make it so that no Yan army would get so brave again.
As his men started to chase after the Yan army, Chou Haku thought about the young commander who had managed to pull all of this off. A cold chill ran down his back. The boy is a monstrous genius, just like those three. Chou Haku had fought alongside the Three Great Generals when they were in their prime, expanding lands north, west and east. He had seen each one's warfare up close. Has another one been birthed?... Is that why Lord Rin Shou Jo kept the boy under his wing? He asked himself.
Even though it was so early in the youth's military career. His mind could not help to make the comparison to the three Great Heavens.
"Had you foreseen this, Lord Rin Shou Jo… is this you aiding us one more time from the Heavens?" Looking up, he received no true answer from the heavens.