A bitter wind swept through Yuanjiang Pass.
It chilled the narrow mountain gorge and whistled past the jagged cliffs that rose on each side resembling the teeth of a dragon. The snow from the night before had not yet melted mixing with the blood and trodden dirt to form a muddy maroon slush.
There were war cries echoing against the mountain walls and steels clashing with no pause. The screams of battlefield horses rang out as they reared with their hooves striking the earth littered with broken spears and fallen bodies. The surviving soldiers surged forward in uneven waves; helplessly thrusting their swords and spears at the Yanxi enemies in front of them while praying for an unlikely victory.
The battlefield was a complete chaos and among it stood a man of tall stature, his dark hair damp from the frost clinging to his forehead and his eyes almost obsidian as they coldly followed the battle's movement. Li Zhen. He flipped the sword's handle in his hand, his knuckles turned white from his tightened grip and he soared forward vigorously.
His armor quickly became drenched with blood as Yanxi soldiers fell at his feet. His long sword thrust forward and the edge flashed briefly before disappearing into the chest of a soldier who had rushed toward him. The soldier staggered back, choking on his blood while his eyes widened in disbelief before collapsing.
Li Zhen did not show a flicker of emotion as he drew his sword free. Immediately another soldier lunged from his side with a spear, it was a fast and desperate swing but Li Zhen stepped half a pace back, letting the spear point scrape along the metal of his chest armor while at the same time his sword swung harshly in a swift upward arc.
The spear wielder's neck split open, his hot blood spraying across the snow and he folded lifelessly on Li Zhen's blade.
Li Zhen wasted no time as he shifted towards the next soldier. He carved out a carcass passage of Yanxi soldiers and his Raven Banner soldiers followed his pathway through the enemy ranks.
Deep inside the Yanxi ranks, a low horn ruptured throughout the whole mountain gorge, deafening the Raven Banner army. The Yanxi soldiers suddenly veered out, forming a pathway right through the middle of their ranks.
A tall, heavily built man strode forward, his armour was dark, his cloak torn by battle and he had a long, blood coated spear resting easily in his hand. There was a long grotesque line of raised flesh which ran from his hairline, through his eye and ended at his chin. The aura cloaked around him was menacing and when he smiled the scar tugged up making him look less like a human and more like a demon.
The Yanxi soldiers buzzed behind him regaining their courage and motivation.
"General Guwalgiya!" A hoarse hopeful voice shouted from within the Yanxi ranks.
Li Zhen slowed slightly and his dark eyes fixed on the man in front of him; this was the Yanxi commander.
General Guwalgiya Ehui.
The man studied Li Zhen steadily from across the blood soaked ground as his eyes danced with cruel excitement. Li zhen held his gaze with a razor-cold glare as the snow drifted between them and the broken banners flapped weakly in the cold wind. Then Guwalgiya Ehui's lips curved into a sinister smile that did not reach his eyes.
"So" he said, his low guttural voice rolling easily over the deafening roar of battle "the famous War Hound of Ming."
Li Zhen didn't award him with any answer, he kept his eyes fixed on him, unreadable and ice-cold.
Guwalgiya Ehui's grinned widely at Li Zhen, he resembled a starving hyena that had finally found his first meal.
"Let us see," he said, powerfully gripping his spear, "whether the rumours are exaggerated."
The ground between them vanished instantly. Guwalgiya Ehui's spear struck first, the spearhead cut through the air with frightening speed aimed straight for Li Zhen's throat. Li Zhen twisted his body just enough for the spear to whizz past his throat but the spearhead grazed the armour on his shoulder.
The second strike followed in a split second, Li Zhen raised his sword to block the spearhead, the clash reverberating throughout the gorge. Guwalgiya Ehui's movements were smooth and relentless, the long spear spinning through the air in flashing arcs. His each strike carried the full force of a seasoned general who had spent his entire life on battlefields.
Li Zhen blocked the next attack with his sword again, the force of the strike traveled down Li Zhen's arm and he clenched his jaw from the pressure as he pushed his sword tightly against the spear. Neither of their weapons moved as they entered a tense stalemate.
Then Guwalgiya Ehui twisted the spear suddenly, forcing Li Zhen to step back to avoid the swing at his neck. The Yanxi general advanced quickly, his spear thrust forward again and again, each of his strikes were fast and precise.
Li Zhen's sword moved in response; Block, deflect and turn. His boots sliding slightly on the dark stained snow as he adjusted his footing.
Guwalgiya Ehui was a very skilled fighter, a war machine.
Their weapons clashed again, the impact sent sparks scattering through the air. The nearby soldiers had formed a wide perimeter, their weapons clashed slower as they kept just enough distance to avoid the deadly reach of their leaders.
Guwalgiya Ehui suddenly shifted his stance and his spear swept low toward Li Zhen's legs. Li Zhen jumped back reflexively as the spear missed his feet by a hair's width. Guwalgiya Ehui moved again, the spear shaft spun in his hands and the spearhead drove forward toward Li Zhen's chest.
This time Li Zhen did not retreat, he stepped in, allowing the spearhead to scrape across his shoulder's armour as he closed the distance between them. Before Guwalgiya Ehui could pull back, Li Zhen's sword slashed upward. The blade cut across Guwalgiya Ehui's forearm and out poured blood.
The Yanxi general's grip faltered for the briefest second but it was enough, Li Zhen struck again, his sword sweeping across in a brutal horizontal arc. Guwalgiya Ehui barely managed to raise the spear shaft to block it.
His spear pole cracked under the force and both men staggered back a step. For the first time Guwalgiya Ehui's expression morphed, his faint, mocking smile had turned into a mask of grim focus.
They circled each other slowly, snow fell softly between them and Guwalgiya Ehui wiped the blood from his arm with the back of his hand. He laughed his voice devoid of any humour. "Good," he said in a low tone. He lunged forward again, too fast for the watching soldiers to follow. Guwalgiya Ehui spear struck, Li Zhen twisted aside, his sword flashed as he aimed at Guwalgiya Ehui's chest.
For what felt like an endless purgatory there was an endless blur of sharp movements. Then Li Zhen feinted left, darted right, sliding under the spear and in one sharp, fluid movement pivoted behind the general.
Guwalgiya Ehui's body swayed, a thin red line spurted blood from his throat and his spear slipped from his fingers. He collapsed into the snow as a still silence spread across the battlefield.
"The General is dead!" The shouts tore through the Yanxi ranks.
Some of the soldiers paused fighting and dropped their spears and blades with wide eyes and some continued fighting as a last ditch effort.
Li Zhen's sword dropped from his frost bitten hands as the accumulated exertion finally hit his body. He laid exhausted on his knees among the carnage and winter flakes, his eyes however remained glacial and sharp as he watched the Yanxi scatter.
Their Yanxi soldier's retreated quickly as panic trickled down the mountain pass.
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Not far from Yuanjiang Pass, a quiet village sat beside a wide river. Longqiao village. The villagers of Longqiao had woken that morning to the sound of approaching soldiers.
They were men in Raven banner armour who rode into the village square. They stood in front of the gathering villagers and held up a metal badge; the badge of Li Zhen.
"The Crown Prince has given orders," the soldier holding the badge announced coldly. "Yanxi spies are hiding here. The entire village will be purged."
Panic spread immediately. The villagers rebutted, shouting, pleading and some tried to run. Those that tried to run were immediately killed by the soldiers mercilessly and the villagers panicked even more trying to flee and protect their families and young ones. These soldiers however showed no remorse, they indiscriminately cut through the strong, the frail, the old and the young villagers like they were pests.
The soldier holding the badge commanded the other soldiers to move toward the dam above the river. They took out their heavy tools and began striking the stone structure. After a handful of heavy hits, a crack formed and it spread quickly through the old wall. Water burst through, at first a trickle, then the dam gave way. Gargantuan waves surged down, it flood the entire village washing away buildings and villagers.
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Li Zhen returned to the Raven banner camp shortly after sunset. The snow still clung to the edges of the mountains and the wind had grown colder almost cutting into li Zhen's cheekbones. As he dismounted from his horse, a familiar voice called out.
"Your Highness." Zhuo Wei, Li Zhen's right-hand man and second-in-command approached with an easy, upbeat grin. His hair was mousy brown but darker from the damp cold, his cheeks also had a rosy tint and his armor was damaged. He was unusually upbeat, not at all affected by the gruelling battle and his light eyes danced with excitement.
"That was quite the battle, Your Highness," he said, strolling beside Li Zhen. "The Yanxi general fought well. I almost felt sorry for him when you beheaded him." He let out an amusing chuckle.
Li Zhen glimpsed at Zhuo Wei his gaze still cold and tired but there was a flicker of amusement in them. Li Zhen quickened his pace towards the command tent and Zhuo Wei hastened to catch up with him.
"Still," Zhou Wei continued, "cutting down Guwalgiya Ehui like that will give the Yanxi court nightmares." Li Zhen had said nothing when another man approached them in a hurry. The man was pale with fright, his lips frozen from the cold and his slim frame swaying in the cold wind. Liang Shu. Li Zhen's calm and organised advisor looked starkly different, his usually neatly swept dark hair was flaying about and his face was fraught with panic.