human
A young warrior riding a brown horse traveled through Wu territory, in hopes of finding Lu Meng. The rider was a young man whose long black hair tied up into a short pony tail. His facial features were softer then most men were, but still quite handsome to look at. His eyes were emerald green and had a sparkle of life in them, strangely beautiful to look into. His skin was lightly tanned from the sun, but showed that he wasn't outside too often. His body looked thin with little muscle and even had more curve around his waist then most men were seen having. His social status was easily noticed given that his clothes looked like one of a middle class working man would wear, but there was more to him then what could be seen. He had a dreadful secret. This man was really a woman.
Her real name was Lu Shan, but the name she went by was her male persona's Fai Fang. The story behind this woman's strange appearance was one that happened many years ago. Lu Shan was the first born of her sisters and was well loved by everyone in her small village when she was a little girl, but her parents tried desperately to have a son. Each time her mother gave birth it was always a girl, never a boy. In this time of ancient China at least one son was needed in every household. The first son born would be given everything: the land, leadership of the family, the duty to go to war if necessary, but again and again, her mother could never bare any sons. After having five daughters, her parents decided to stop trying. As the eldest Lu Shan was the one who held the fate of her family. Without a son, Lu Shan would have been given everything that he should have, but as a woman she wasn't allowed these gifts. She had no choice, the only way she could keep the land was to get married, but she refused to. Every suitor she was given had nothing but greed and lust in their hearts. So she turned down each suitor and came up with another idea.
Lu Shan decided to become a man, that way she could keep the land her family lived on and wouldn't have to worry about finding a new home for her and her four sisters once their parents pass away. So she had to tape down her breast to look more like a man's chest and tape her curvy waist to have less of a feminine figure. She cut her hair shorter and kept the rest in a short pony tail. Surprisingly her plan worked! Everyone believed she was a man! So reluctantly and without any other choice, Lu Shan had to pretend to be a man, but when war came around to the peaceful land one man of each family had to fight. It was either her or her elder father, Lu Shan decided to go.
Under the name of Fei Fang, she traveled to Wu in search of Lu Meng, he was a excellent warrior and very intelligent in warfare. She was told her training could be done there. Disguised as a man, Lu Shan shall get the more ruthless training then female warriors did. In rare cases, women could join the fight if they were trained and taught to become a warrior, Lu Shan wasn't that case. She never even held a sword, but with Lu Meng's help, she could become a fierce warrior. With that in mind, Lu Shan approached the Wu main camp
gpt
The camp was rather well organized, it was large too, it was along the banks of the yellow river in the northern section of the kingdom. It was well shaded with small and large tress which were scattered around as if they were seeds tossed randomly by the hand of a higher power. There was much movement in the camp as people went and people arrived all in some form of order as they were up to all sorts of different jobs and measures working hard to do whatever their job was or whatever their work for that day happened to be. It was easy to see that they were very busy when one would ride into the camp itself.
The camp was laid out in the shape of a basic hexagon with tents all on the southern and southeastern part of the camp. There was a large amount of training grounds in the western part of the camp as it was easy to see the large numbers of targets for arrows, logs for praticing swordsmanship, dummies for praticing hand to hand and other various things for a person to use to be training with. The northern section of the camp was filled with supplies where they were held and protected, arms, goods, food, and anything else an warrior might need were kept here. On the eastern side were the stables and the headquarters, the place that anyone who was going to visit the camp would arrive at first when they came to check in. The HQ wasn't the largest building but it was close to it, a temperary building that was slowly turning into a more perminate building as the training went on. It had a large enterance room which to everyside were other smaller rooms were officers of the army were doing their work at most any moment in the day.
Lu Meng, had no clue who was coming or that they were not male, he honestly was focused on the bigger picture of things. He was focused on what would be needed to make his kingdom the best and greatest of all the kingdoms int he whole world. He was focused on making sure that no problem rose up from his men, and that they were prepared, which meant they were wll trained in the art of war and the art of peace. It was also his job to make sure that each of his men got the best training, and thus assigned them to different officers who had been given to him as subordianates. Men like Ling Tong who was currently out teaching horsemenship to new recruits out on the plains to the south of where they were or Lu Xun who was going though training of seamanship with men out on the yellow river most likely a day away from where he was at that moment.
At the moment though Lu Meng was sitting at his desk a small wooden one in a light brown wood chair his feet up on the desk as his fingers paged though reports from all of his officers the important ones and the less important ones. The reports told him how various men were coming along, they were scouting reports on what was on the otherside of the river, they were reports on amounts of supplies in camp and so forth. It was boring stuff to read, but it had to be known for Lu Men knew that to be prepared one first must had to know oneself. He looked around the modest office nothing standing out much as he kept thing rather spartan in nature, with no real reason to fancy it up, he choose not to at all.
human
As she approached the camp, Lu Shan took a deep breath. No one in her village noticed her change when she dressed up as a man, but these were warriors. They could find her out just by looking at her if she did one thing wrong. This would prove to be challenging for her especially since she's never fought or killed anyone before, she was raised to be a housewife not a warrior. Lu Shan couldn't give up, she had a family to protect, if she failed, they would be the ones that suffer. As she entered the camp, she saw everyone working and each person looked busy. The camp itself looked well organized, nothing she didn't expect from a military camp. Some people stared at her unimpressed. Her lack of armor, weapons, and muscles made her look like the one who would be the first to die in battle. At this point, she knew her time here would be difficult.
She didn't know anything or anyone in this place, so she had to ask around to find out where Lu Meng's tent was after putting her horse away in the stables. Luckily she found a few soldiers willing to help her. So far everyone seemed convinced that she was a man. No one seemed to question her, directly at least and thanks to her years doing this Lu Shan was able to make herself sound like a man, but at a pitch that sounded a bit feminine still. She had to admit, there was a lot of handsome men around in this camp and there didn't seem to be a single woman in sight. Maybe she could do this for now, but she worried about being caught. There were several unpleasant ways these men could find out about her secret. So she had to be extremely careful about herself and concealing her secret.
Lu Shan was told all new troops needed to report to Lu Meng once they arrived so he can count them there. Walking to his tent, she took a deep breath. There had to be a way to have him teach her personally without having to reveal herself. When she felt ready she stepped inside. "Lord Lu Meng, I'm Fai Fang. I came to report my arrival and ask you something if you'll allow me too." She reported taking a deep bow and showing her respect to him. When she saw him, she couldn't believe how handsome this man was, but she had to focus, her life depended on it.
gpt
Lu Meng looked like a gruff old commander, but thruth be told he was only 28 at that moment. He saw the man report to him and got to his own feet, as he looked at he man, he was pretty short compared to most others who joined. He was small too, far smaller then a number of men, but there were many who were the same size or a bit bigger or smaller, so it wasn't so surprising, but as he looked at her he walked around her for a moment as his eyes focused upon the woman. He said nothing as he walked, taking in his frame as he figured that he needed to figure out if he could use the young man at all.
"Experience, I am guessing you have zero, Fai Feng isn't a uncommon name either and has no connection to any of the great houses of the kingdom," he mused around as he stopped in a spot that was behind her at a angle looking at the back of the young man. He paused again as he walked over and got a book and put it down upon the table. Lu Meng wasn't sure how he was going to use this man at all. He wasn't sure what skill they had or what abilities that they would be able to pick up on. He put the book down and opened it as he looked at the man right in the eyes now.
"Well, Fai Feng, do you know how to read, do you have any education at all," he asked as he looked carefully at the figure, this was a key question that would tell him so much. "Also if you are to join my force you are going to have to have a lot of work to do, are you willing to work hard, or are you going to be a troublesome slacker who I have to keep in line," he said as he looked at her and narrowed his eyes, to stress the seriousness of the moment and his questions. He had ideas what the man could do, but he had to know more about said person before he made up his mind.
human
To Lu Shan, Lu Meng looked like a older man then he really was, but nonetheless a handsome man. This camp was full of them, how was she going to be okay around so many of them. Hopefully none of them would see any flaws in her disguise or anything that could lead them to believe that she wasn't a man. He wasn't much taller then her, he was just above her head when he stood up to his feet. Her feelings only got worse when she saw him circling around her like a vulture and she was his dying prey. The silence as he circled her making her more tense. Lu Shan prayed he didn't find anything about her secret or find anything suspicious about her. For now Lu Shan stood up straight and tried to look calm and had control of herself.
She listened to him speak, luckily he didn't mention anything that truly concerned her, but she had to admit he was a smart man. Then again her given appearance and name said it all. Still she didn't like the fact of him standing right behind her. "You're correct, my lord." She replied. This was looking bad for her, but all she needed was a chance and she could prove to him that she can fight! Lu Shan knew she could, she had to. Seeing him place a book on his table she looked at him curiously, his eyes starting directly into hers.
"Yes, I was given a good education." She answered simply. He didn't ask about her life story so she was just going to answer his questions as they came along. Back home to prove that she was indeed a man, she was given the best education her family could get for her. Even though these days, women weren't very well educated. His words about what will happen here made her determined. "My Lord, I won't be a troublemaker or a slacker I can assure you of that. I might not look like much, but I promise to train and fight as hard as I can. I'll do whatever you command me to do my Lord." With that she made another respectful bow trying to ignore the intensity of his stare.
gpt
Lu Meng kept his eyes on her as she answered the question, his focus was pretty much absolute on him to test him. He wanted to know what type of person he was he wanted to know if he had any resolve inside of his mind and willingness to stand up. He looked and listened, educated that was a good sign, he knew that if this person was educated they could learn tactis and skills. That was important in a leader, and if he had his way all his men would be natural leaders, if that happened with her time would only tell. He saw some potential within the man as he looked at him. He liked the spirit she showed by his declaration as well. He was someone who in the right spot could achieve pershaps a bit of note if he were to live up to his words that he just said.
He sat back down on the table for a moment thinking before he got off it again and walked over to a wall. The wall had a number of weapons on it, he picked out a long bow a bow that was as tall as she was in height. He walked over and handed it to her, "you will have to show me that your not just words, but you shall have your chance. This is a longbow, it is something that we need people skilled in. You shall learn the art of the bow and join the 3rd archery unit, other than that I can't yet tell you much due to the fact I want to see how you develop in your skills before we figure out where in that unit you will fit in best. You shall train with Ling Tong, and you shall be under overall command of Lu Xun. Neither one of them is here at the moment."
Lu Meng got a book and pulled it out from behind his desk, "This is a book on tactics, I suggest you read it when you are not praticing with your bow. If your smart, you shall learn these things as fast as possible. Then perhaps I can find a leadership role an officer's command. That would mean a officer's pay rate which I am sure your mother and father could use as well as any siblings," he said looking at Feng for a moment. "Now, your new home is out this building to the right, head down the street till you see a large wooden building with a arrow above the door, this is your new place to live, find a open bed and relax and I suggest read. Ling Tong shall be back tomorrow to work on your training with your new weapn, Welcome to the 1st Corps and good luck."
human
She could feel his eyes piercing through her like he was trying to stare into her soul. She knew he was testing her, but the stare almost made her break her composure, but luckily she managed to stick it out long enough for her to pass. Her intelligence was one thing she had the upper hand with, at least this way she could learn strategies and tactics as well as fighting abilities much faster. She doubted she could be anything more then a private, but if luck was in her favor then perhaps she could be more. Lu Shan didn't see the potential she had, but in reality, she would accomplish much more then she realized.
Lu Shan watched as Lu Meng stared at his wall of weapons and picked a long bow out. It was just as big as her, but at least it was something she could hold without having to have years of physical training. Once he handed it to her, Lu Shan took the long bow in her hand. It would take some time to get use to how the bow worked and her accuracy, but with the hard work she promised Lu Meng, she was more then willing to do her very best. For now she focused on Lu Meng's instructions and information.
Ling Tong and Lu Xun, two more names she needed to remember. It was unfortunate that she couldn't meet them yet, but at least she knew who to go to. Hopefully she could figure out who is who is this camp filled with men. Lu Meng mentioning the role of an officer, Lu Shan knew she had to make it good enough to be one. Her family needed the money more then she did and with a higher pay there's a better chance for a brighter future for them. But was she really someone to be put in charge of other people's lives? She couldn't worry about that now, Lu Shan had to focus on what was happening right now. Once she learned where exactly she was suppose to go, Lu Shan gave a nod and a bow. "Thank you sir. For the weapon and the book. I promise I won't let my words go unfulfilled. Is there anything else I should know or am I free to go, my Lord?" She asked just in case she wasn't done quite yet.
gpt
Lu Meng looked at the young man for a moment or two, and took a deep breath, he hoped he was making the right choose by allowing the young man into the army. He could see oh so many ways that this could go south and quickly. His eyes looked at the young man, small no experience, so many tell tell signs of someone who would cost other people their lives. Yet, he had a good feeling in his gut about him, one that canceled out many other thoughts that were going though the mind of the man. He looked at the man for a extra moment and nodded his head looking at him, "Yeah, you may take your leave, you shall find that it is to late in the afternoon to begin your training and your trainers are no where near here so you may relax in your barracks or get your barrings, keep the bow, it is yours now," he said motioning her out of his office.
Fai Feng would notice that people around the came were very busy when she walked out of the tent, she would head down any direction and find people doing their work, their business working on improving and preparing for the life or death situations that would happen when out in the world. She would see people moving supplies moving in small units together many other things as well. She would see that the direction towards the Barracks was far quieter and not that far. Her barracks on the far end of the group of them, standing alone at a angle facing the road.
When Feng walked into the barracks she would find it empty, with the beds made, but with a half dozen or so empty places for her to pick to sleep on, no place would look any different from the others, a simple mat laid out on the ground with simple blankets over it and a simple type of pillow nothing fact, nothing out of the ordanarty, she would have a small area in which to put her thing behind the mat too, so that she might put what she would need in that area.
human
As soon as Lu Meng gave her the say so to leave, Fai Feng smiled at Lu Meng saying "Thank you sir, especially for the bow. Good afternoon." She bowed in respect then turned to leave with her new long bow in one hand and her new book in the other. Once outside Lu Shan took a breath of relief. It was a miracle that she managed to get out of there without a single suspicion from her new Lord; finally her heart could stop racing. Soon enough Lu Shan regathered herself and continued onward to the barracks. Now she just had to keep her real gender hidden. That meant having to act like a man, no crying or whining, different bathing times, and so forth. This was going to be the toughest years of Lu Shan's life, but at least all she had to do today was read.
While she walked, Lu Shan took mental photographs of where everything was so she wouldn't get lost and have to ask for directions again. One of the many things she noticed was the busy people all around camp. Everywhere she looked someone was working hard on whatever job they were responsible for. It almost upset her since she basically got a free day while everyone else had to work, but there was nothing more she could do. Everything she saw lead her to believe the Wu camp was ready for anything. All the supplies came in and everything was set up in case of an emergency. Maybe that's one of the reasons she decided to fight for Wu, their ability to be ready for anything and including tons of skilled warriors and leaders. Perfect for someone like her to learn everything she needed to know.
Once she finally reached the barracks, Lu Shan was relieved to see she was the only one inside. There were at least a dozen beds that were available to her and looked so professionally made. What else could she expect from a military group? After standing for a minute, Lu Shan decided to pick the bed farthest away from the others that were already taken to avoid anyone catching anything. Her biggest fear was sharing the barracks with all these men and discovering all the things she used to hide her sex. The worse part being at night, she had to take her wrappings off. Her body would get too sore and stiff not to mention they were uncomfortable to sleep in. For now she just placed her things down in the area open to her and sat down on her new bed. She placed her long bow by her bag and opened the book to start studying military tactics and strategies.
gpt
The day was drawing to a close before anyone woudl walk in, and this time it was someone very different from Lu Meng, it was young man full of life and energy his hair held back in a long poney tail as he walked i nto the room, his walk showing confidence but showing a bit of a laziness that most likely was natural to the person. He saw the new recruit and noticed that she was reading at the moment. Ling Tong, had been told that the new guy was educated which was something that was a great sign. Seeing the guy read only confirmed that fact to him, as he raised a bit of an eye brow as he walked over quietly and stood in front of the man.
"Well, now what do we have here, you look like the runt of the litter, but I am guessing your smart and you must have some skills or Lu Meng woudln't of allowed you even to join the army," Ling Tong said himself standing just a foot front him as he looked him over for a good moment before turning and looking at the bow, "I see, we are down a squad leader, I see what he has envisioned for you," he mused outloud as much to himself as it was for her benefit. He had been told that already, but he wasn't sure why till he saw her reading already.
"Now, you are going to train with me, tomorrow and every day after that, you shall be at the archery fields tomorrow at sunrise, each moment late will end up with more running and work, ontime is late, early is ontime," he explained as he stepped back, 'Well, I am Ling Tong, the commander of the unit that you are now a member of and your boss, so I suggest you keep reading, get some sleep, maybe get some food if you need it and be ready the morning it will be a very long day if your late or if your not ready understood?"
human
At first Lu Shan didn't even notice the man that entered the room. Her eyes were focused on the book and her mind was trying to take in all the information the book had to offer her. Luckily thanks to her education she was able to read each word with ease. The book offered her plenty of military strategies and terms that would help her in the near future. Without this book, Lu Shan would be the first of any one to die in the army. Her worries remaining to be her secret and her abilities to use the bow in battle. Hopefully with the intense training she'll get, Lu Shan's accuracy and skill will improve more and more each day.
Only until she heard a manly voice did Lu Shan know a man was in the room with her. Hearing his voice she jumped a little from being brought back into reality and seeing a man just appear in front of her. She looked up at the man from her bed closing the book for a moment using her thumb as a bookmark. She didn't say anything about his first comment since she had nothing to say about it that would be smart to say, but she did notice his handsome features. Damn it, was there one unattractive guy here!? With all these handsome men around it'll be even harder to hide her girlish behavior and secret. One slip up could get them to realize what she really was since they all had probably been with plenty of women before. The next thing he said caught her attention. Lu Meng must have told this man his intentions of making her a squad leader. If Lu Meng saw it in her then maybe it was possible.
She looked down for a moment and tried to speak. "I-" The moment she tried to speak, her girl voice slipped out since she was quiet and didn't try to change her voice by accident. She cleared her throat and spoke again in her manly voice saying. "I'll do what I can to make that vision a reality. If he sees a leader in me then I need to make that vision a reality." Though honestly, Lu Shan didn't like the idea of these lives being under her control. Finally after hearing his order about their training she learned his name; so this was Ling Tong. She wasn't surprised or disappointed she just felt indifferent about meeting him since Lu Shan didn't know what to expect. As soon as he was finished, Lu Shan answered with a simple "Yes sir!"
gpt
The next morning Ling Tong was out working and training as any other day, he figured that Lu Shan, or whatever his name was. He had to be working on something important and getting to know his fellow bunkmates. Ling Tong figured he would get to see what type of person he was when he came down to start train. He knew that the tent he had been put into was one filled with ambitious people who were all in officer training. It most likely he figured was done that way on purpose, Lu Meng pushing him quietly down the path of becoming a officer if she knew it or not.
Tong looked around himself, he stood in a shaded part, around him were trees a number of them as well as a number of targets spread out between the trees, each set at a different distance from a line from where the archer would fire their bow. Tong knew that he had to oversee this, and make sure that the soldiers did everything that was needed for this type of training. He knew that most didn't use the bow, but those who did make up their own unit meaning most likely Lu Shan would be there with maybe one other future officer. He leaned back and waited knowing it would be a bit before they showed.
Tong could smell the food from the mess tent for some this was a step up it was real food, but for those who came from elite families it was a step down a big one as it wasn't the fancy food they were used to. It was always interesting to see reactions to the food by various new troops from time to time, how would the small man see the food, he hadn't placed if Shan was from a elite family or a simple one yet, but he hadn't spend much time around him either and he figured in time he would know one way or another what the case happened to be.
human
While Ling Tong was up training thinking Lu Shan was busy, in fact it was quite the opposite. Lu Shan wasn't use to waking up at the crack of dawn and no one had waken her up. Only just now, Lu Shan started to open her eyes, but noticing the other beds were empty Lu Shan shot up from her bed. She overslept on her first day! Lu Shan had to switch from her sleeping clothes and tape her breast down and switched into her armor in a panic. Hopefully she wouldn't forget anything that could expose her secret. She grabbed her bow and ran out trying to find the training field she was suppose to already be at.
The good news was last night went without a hitch. The soldiers she shared the barracks with introduced themselves to her without any suspicion. Luckily they didn't bother her assuming she was tired and saw she wanted to read the book Lu Meng gave her. In that night she was able to finish it so everything she needed to know was known now, but it didn't help her wake up any quicker. Though what she saw so fair it looked like everyone in the camp was friendly and the smell of food made her hungry, but she didn't have time to eat now.
The bad news was that she was late on her first day of training, if she was lucky Ling Tong wouldn't notice it. She spotted the man sitting in the shade by what she believed was the training grounds. Lu Shan took a breath then walked over to him and respectfully bowed. "I'm sorry-" Realizing she still had her feminine natural voice and cleared her throat to change into her manlier voice. "Sorry sir, I over slept. I hope I'm not too late for training."
gpt
Ling Tong found that most of his men were on time and he got started, he wasn't happy about the man that Lu Meng seemed to have a good feeling about. The solider had made a bad spot on Ling Tong as she was late and he wasn't that big on being late for training, other things yes, but training hell no. He saw that he was walking up and looked at Shan and pointed her in a different direction. He figured she would need to work with someone else this day to work on his body and strength.
Lu Xun was waiting for the woman catching sight of Tong. The charming young man looked at Shan and raised his eyebrow, the genius was able to pick up on something was off abut the man. He looked at her and motioned her over to where he was standing at the moment. "come here, Shan, we have plenty of work for you to do today," he said calmly as he looked at the person closer, yeah, it was easy to pick up on when he knew what to look at. He motioned her to follow him as he ran laps around the camp, moving at a steady pace, endurance would be something that Shan would have to build up.
After a while Xun stopped Shan in an area it would be just the two of them, so no one would overhear them. "So, Lady Shan, if that is your real name, why are you here," he asked, he would keep her secret, but Xun was a genius and able to see though her ploy, he had to make sure she wasn't an enemy spy first and foremost, but after that he would help her if she had a good reason to be there.
human
It was obvious that Ling Tong wasn't pleased with her and honestly she didn't blame him. Her fist day here and already she seemed like a disappointment, but she couldn't let old habits stop her from becoming the greatest she could be. She won't let Lu Meng's judgment turn into a false assumption. Lu Shan looked in the direction Ling Tong pointed her at and realized he didn't want to work with her today. So much for archery training, but it would be best to start with building her body up.
She sighed softly and turned towards the training field only to see a face she could recognize as Lu Xun. He wasn't big in size, but he sure was an intelligent and handsome man. Hopefully she would be able to keep her secret from him. Out of anyone here that could find out it would be Lu Xun that could figure it out first. Seeing him motion her over, Lu Shan hesitated for a moment thinking he was referring to someone else thought she realized he was referring to her. She walked over to him trying to look calm and felt some relief when all he wanted was to give her some work to do.
Lu Shan couldn't help, but smile as she ran with him around the camp. It was the most she's ran in a long time and although she was losing breath often and felt her throat burning Lu Shan did all she could to keep up. This was her first step to becoming a warrior there's no way in hell she was going to let something simple as running hold her down. After what felt like hours they finally came to a stop Lu Shan put her hands on her knees and panted in exhaustion, but Lu Xun's words caught her off guard. She gasped softly in her feminine voice. They were alone so she wasn't afraid of her real voice being heard. Her fears came true, Lu Xun knew for long long she didn't know. She stood up straight and looked at him directly. "So you know?" She sighed softly and said "My real name is Lu Shan...I did this for my family. There were no sons in my family and my father didn't have someone to take over the family. So...I disguised myself as a man so our family would have someone...and I came to fight for them...as a man I won't get any pity so my training would be tough and ruthless...making me stronger..." She explained in her normal voice speaking in truth.
gpt
Lu Xun stood there calmly as he looked at the woman for a moment, she pulled off the attempt rather well, if he didn't have a trained eye, most likely he wouldn't of ever seen it at all. He smiled as he looked at her knowing that it was indeed very impressive. He could tell too that she had a noble reason for doing what she did, she did so for her family and so she would have the best chance to be a good solider as well.
"First of all, I will keep your secret, I promise I will, as long as you work hard and do your best," Xun commented as he looked at the woman, "Secondly, Wu men tend to like strong women, so if this does get out, most likely you will have a lot of suitors, from here, and other kingdoms," he said with a soft laugh, he knew that his sister in law had been a tomboy who married a emperor and he had married into that family to a strong woman as well. "Now, I will have your barracks changed though to share mine, don't worry I am a loyal married man, surprisingly and you won't be harmed," he said as he looked at her. "You will be my student for tactics and to gain experience in the battlefield and I will make you stronger."
Xun looked at her as he gave her the offer, he knew that he would keep the information from Meng, and Tong, as both didn't need to know and she had a good reason. Plus, he knew it would be funny as all heck when they found out that she was a female. He looked over at the camp, "come on, we should be getting back make sure your ready, and we will head back, I shall get the change in your home done in the morning."
human
Lu Shan stood herself up straight looking at the wise young man before her. For someone so young to be so intelligent she couldn't help, but wonder how he was so quick to discover her secret. Was there a flaw in her disguise or was it in her attitude? Now she couldn't help but worry there was something she was doing wrong that exposed her secrets. After all he couldn't just look at her and just know unless there was a flaw right? Though while she was worrying and still should be worrying even more now that someone knows now the smile he gave her made her less nervous around him; hopefully he believed her story.
The moment Lu Xun started speaking Lu Shan's eyes and ear were on him. She looked both surprised and happy to hear what he had to say. The fact that he'll keep her secret was a blessing, but the next thing he said really got her thinking for a moment. While for the most part it would be nice to find a suitor and marry, but she knows love was a thing she gave up long ago. It was one of the many things she had to give up so finding love wasn't a goal or priority to her. The idea itself just kinda faded away and she even forgot such a thing existed. She blushed softly for a moment, but it quickly faded away. "Thank you for keeping my secret you don't know how much I'll owe you...and finding a suitor would be nice, but it's not my goal and it's one of the things I learned to give up with my ruse so I doubt I'll ever marry even if everyone knew I was a girl." She spoke softly even with sadness in her voice as she stared down in the ground.
For a moment she looked at him surprised hearing he was wanting to change her home to share with his. Lu Shan was almost frozen after all why would he want that especially now after learning her secret. Though her nerves calmed down hearing he was already married and being a loyal husband he wouldn't try anything on her. "Well...thank you. I trust you're loyalty to your wife and I must say she's lucky to have a husband like yourself. I want to repay you for your kindness one day." She looked at him with kind eyes and a friendly smile. Hearing it was time to head back, Lu Shan gathered her things and readied to leave with him. "Yes sir and again Lu Xun...thank you."
gpt
Lu Xun wondered for a moment if it was the wisest thing he could do. He knew that he was leaving his own mentor out in the dark about the situation, but he figured that it wouldn't ultimately hurt anything and that Lu Shan seemed like a nice enough young woman. He figured that she had good reasons as well to work and want to help her family too. Xun walked away from the spot quietly, he wondered how Lu Meng was going to react when he figure this out, or how Ling Tong would react. It was going to be a interesting time during the training of this group of new troops.
The small home of Lu Xun had two rooms one that the young woman would stay in and his own, as well as the other basic rooms one might find in any home. He would claim her as his student of tactics, he had been asked for a while to take up teaching tactics to a young solider to be his assistant should he ever need to take charge of the army someday. He walked into his home and pulled down several books about tactics and strategy about knowledge and he knew they would greatly help the young woman learn, and were not overly complex either.
Lu Xun put them on the table as he knew that the young woman was most likely going to arrive sooner or later, that she would most likely feel as if she were in over her head, but he figured in time she would pick up on the needed abilities and skills to achieve something of herself in the Wu forces.
human
Lu Shan knew it must be difficult for Lu Xun to hide such a big secret especially from Lu Meng. She prayed nothing bad would come of this. What would happen to Lu Xun if he found out that Lu Xun has been keeping this secret from him? Lu Shan feared something would happen to Lu Xun because of her. He didn't deserve a punishment if it came to it, Lu Shan won't allow Lu Xun to be the one in trouble. All she wanted was to make sure her family was safe and taken care of, but she didn't know what would happen if the truth was discovered. Because of that lack of knowledge Lu Shan would have to work even harder to hide the truth as long as possible. For now Lu Shan had to ready herself for the change in her living arrangements at least now she had a friend by her side.
It wasn't too long after that she was told of the change. Lu Shan didn't pack before hand to avoid looking suspicious that she already knew about it. Naturally the men that heard of it thought of Lu Xun's kindness of taking her in was odd at least until he explained the Lu Shan was his student. Living with Lu Xun would benefit Lu Shan in many ways: Lu Xun was wise and could help her learn more about battle tactics and strategies while at the same time her secret could be easily kept. She would get her knowledge from Lu Xun while Ling Tong taught her strength and combat. Lu Shan hoped that tomorrow would be a better day for her regarding her training with Ling Tong. Tomorrow she was going to wake up on time and begin her life as a warrior correctly this time; no mistakes.
Lu Shan took her belongings to Lu Xun's home, tying her horse to the nearest stable. Hopefully rumors or such wouldn't spread the last thing Lu Shan needed was the army spreading rumors about her. Soon enough Lu Shan had taken all her things inside and placed them in the room Lu Xun generously gave her. It didn't take her long to get set up and comfort, but of course this changed nothing for Lu Shan regarding the work she'll be doing. "Thank you for lending me a room to stay in and the books will help me greatly too. You're very kind Lord Lu Xun. If there's any chores or work to be done don't be afraid to ask me to help after all I have to help you for letting me stay..." She smiled softly and bowed deeply in respect.
gpt
Lu Xun nodded his head as he heard the words of the young woman who stood in front of himself. He knew that this woman was at least a decent person, he figured that she would have many suitors if she was to announce that she was a female. Still the reaction when they found out was going to be rather priceless and funny all at the same time. He figured there would be shock, but people would get over it, cause they would know that Shan would be a good officer hopefully before they figured it out, and then it would matter far less that she was a female then it would at this point in time.
"You will have plenty of choirs to do, trust me, cleaning keeping your bed clean and orderly. You will have to do other work around here with the purpose of building strength and helping your training as well as your reading which should help you understand tactics, you will be very busy person trust me," Lu Xun said as he looked at her getting up from his chair as he stood there for a moment, "actually in a lot of ways, this training will be far more challenging then it would of been had you stayed where you are, as people will have higher expectations of you then before."
Lu Xun showed Lu Shan around the area, where her bath would be, where she could keep her stuff, as well as her bed, which was in the other room which was a former storage room, not the nicest but it was a room and the odds with staying here went down a great deal in comparison to before. Lu Xun motioned her into the room and looked at her, "read a bit, then sleep, you will need the sleep for tomorrow, we will start the morning running around the camp then you will have your breakfast, then you will practice your tactics with a game with me, then in the afternoon you will work on your bow skills, in three of four weeks you will be given back to Ling Tong for approval as well as my mentor so they can see how good you have done."
human
One of Lu Shan's many worries was when Ling Tong and Lu Meng would find out about her secret. Here in Lu Xun's home she could be safer then before and even stronger with having such a intelligent mentor watching over her. If Lu Xun could figure it out just by looking at her then she had to worry if Lu Meng would figure it out the same way eventually. Ling Tong she wouldn't bet too much coin on figuring it out on his own, but then again Lu Shun could be mistaken. The thing she was scared about was how they would react. Would they be furious or just surprised? Something inside her was too afraid to find out, but she knew that sooner or later her secret will be exposed Lu Shan just prayed it would be after her training was complete.
Listening to Lu Xun explain that being under his wing for now would be more of a challenge then her original training would be, but as he went on Lu Shan began to smile with pride. She stood straight and strong filled with a inspired feeling coursing through her body. "I understand sir and I'm excited that my training with you will be even tougher on me. I wanted to appear as a man to become stronger then I would as a woman, but now hearing this I understand you could make me even stronger and smarter and for that I thank you and look forward to whatever challenge you throw at me!" She smiled brightly and gave one more deep respectful bow then returning to stand straight and proud.
After seeing all the rooms and places that was of her concern Lu Shan felt more at peace then she was at her previous living quarters. Here she had privacy and could let herself be a girl when she was here, but it'll be a very long time before she could do the things normal girls did. It's been years since she's even worn a kimono, but at least it'll all be worth it in the end. When Lu Xun motioned her to her new room Lu Shan walked inside, but her attention remained on her new temporary mentor. After hearing her new schedule and how things were going to be after today Lu Shan gave a understanding nod. "Yes sir, I understand. I promise I won't let you or Lord Lu Meng down. But I suppose I should begin reading right away so I can go to bed sooner. Good night Lord Lu Xun." She smiled sweetly at him wishing him good dreams.
gpt
Time past as time always does pass bye without warning, and things did change a bit for some and a lot for others, a month had gone by since Lu Xun had taken in Lu Shan and let her stay at his home. It was a month where he had worked the young woman harder then most likely she had ever expected to be worked. Yet, she hadn't complained, and she worked as hard as she could. It was a great thing to see, and she was living up to his expectations, and he though her own as well. He had promised her that after a month he would let her have a test to show the others her skills, and he had set that just up for her, to show the other commanders of the outpost, Lu Meng and Ling Tong the skills she developed.
Lu Xun looked over as he saw the other gathering around, this was a gauntlet, a challenge course that would take speed, agility and intelligence. It was filled with rope swings and pits and all sorts of objects that were put in place to be obstacles for anyone so their time would be bad. He knew that Lu Shan had been looking forward to this for the past bit to prove herself worthy to being a officer and a leader. It was good to see her go for this, and he knew that it was a big day for him, cause if he could prove that he could teach someone, then his own status went up a bit. Still he was mostly focus on Lu Shan cause this would be a huge moment for her, and he felt confident she would put up a good time.
Lu Xun saw Ling Tong looking at him giving him a curious look to some degree, he could tell Ling Tong had low expectations as did Lu Meng. Seeing those looks cause Lu Xun to want to have Lu Shan to show the two of them up as much as possible and do as best as possible. He heard the signal of the race, then he would see Lu Shan moving though the course soon moving to try to impress and give the best possible time to her name, which would tell the others just how talented she was and how much she learned too.
human
It's been a month since Lu Shan has started her training. Every day and night she worked to the point she couldn't stand anymore. There were countless times she's fallen asleep in bed or at the table with a workspace of open books as her pillow. Her body was sore for a good amount of her training, but it didn't stop her. Each day she grew faster, stronger, and smarter. Lu Shan's even shown a great some of talent using her bow and arrows. Her eyes were sharp and already had a excellent aim, but it did take awhile before she could start hitting bull eyes. She wanted to make Lu Xun proud, she wanted to prove she could be an officer maybe even one of their best. After the big first impression she left Ling Tong with Lu Shan could only expect they saw little in her, but today Lu Shan was going to prove them all wrong.
Everything Lu Shan's been training for has led up to this moment. The looks on Ling Tong's and Lu Meng's faces as they saw her only made her more determined to show them what kind of a warrior she's become. No longer will she be a embarrassment. Wu was going to be grateful to have her on their side. As she readied for her test Lu Shan felt a bit of nervous tension. What if she failed? She'll embarrass Lu Xun and prove that everyone who doubted her was right. Lu Shan shook her head to chase those thoughts away. Now was not the time to be a coward, she just had to remember what she was taught and then let fate what will become of her.
As soon as Lu Shan heard the signal she dashed off to begin her test. Truly if she didn't have Lu Xun train her there was no chance of her passing this test. She ignored the eyes staring at her and focused on what was ahead of her. Using everything she's learned Lu Shan was clearing every obstacle with little to no problems. Her strength, speed, and intelligence completely different then how she first arrived. With her bow on her back there was a single arrow tied to her belt. There was something not included on the test she wanted to add to prove her skills even further. When Lu Shan reached the end she jumped and rolled to the finish line, but after the quick roll her bow was pulled from her back and the arrow was in place. With one foot on the ground and her knee on her other leg touching the ground Lu Shan pulled back the arrow and shot it without a moment wasted. The arrow flew not hitting a single person then stabbing into a target for archery a few yards away right in the center; a bull eyes. With that Lu Shan panted softly as she stood and looked over to her mentors and lords to see what they had to say.
gpt
The group of people there were focused on Lu Shan, most of them didn't know that she was a female, actually all but one of them thought she was a male. As such Lu Shan was being rated on a scale that would be common for a male and not that of a female. The one person who knew she was a female wasn't worried about that small fact. Lu Xun had seen just how hard that Lu Shan had been working and honestly, he knew that she would do well, she would show her stuff. He smiled as he looked at the young woman work, she did just as he thought. He had a good feeling about the strong woman, and her potential for being a force to be dealt with. He knew the strength of women from Da Qiao, his mother in law and Lianshi, the bodyguard, and lover of his lord Sun Quan.
The others who didn't know this were not less unimpressed at all, they were all impressed from her performance, most of all, Ling Tong. Ling Tong was amazed at the skill of the would be archer he had seen before, Lu Shan looked like a trained fighter and leader. Lu Meng noticed this too, in her choose of movements, he knew that if she was working equally on her tactics as he figured she was, she was a great future officer. The pair of them went over and talked to Lu Xun for a moment as they talked to him just about Lu Shan, about the abilities of Lu Shan, and her future place in the camp. It was a enlightening conversation on their opinion of the young woman, and caused him to smile a bit.
"Lu Shan, you shall continue your training with Lu Xun, but you will be given other responsibilities, you are going to learn training tactics and skills from Ling Tong, you will serve as a squad commander as well given a group of a few other troops to command and work with to form one of our many squads of archers, is this understood," Lu Meng said looking at her, as he figured that the young woman would be rather excited at this revelation that was being revealed to her, and it would also give her a clue about how she did, "your pay and your rank will be increased to reflect these new responsibilities."
human
As the three Lords turned to each other in discussion of her performance Lu Shan turned to face them, but didn't move from her spot. Her breath soon returned and her pants ceased, but still it was difficult to hear what they were saying from the distance she was at from them. Lu Shan prayed they accepted her, that her training didn't go to waste. Knowing the fact that she appeared as a man that her grading would be much stricter then it would be if she remained a girl. That was one of the benefits to being a man Lu Shan could get tested harder as well as trained harder. Her body was becoming strong and it seemed the performance impressed those who came to watch, but it all came down to Lu Meng to decide her fate. Shall she remain a private or become an officer? Her heart pounded not from the test she just placed her body into, but from the anticipation of hearing their answer.
Lu Shan tensed up and straightened up once she saw that Lu Meng looked ready to speak to her. She gulped fearing the moment she would hear bad news, but as Lu Meng spoke Lu Shan looked surprised. Her heart was ready to explode when she heard the increased rank and pay she'll receive. More pay meant more money she could send home to her family waiting for her return. The rank increase proved to Lu Shan that she had what it took to be a warrior. The downside was that now she was responsible for the lives of those under her command. If she failed then they will die, but with Lu Xun and now Ling Tong teaching her Lu Shan was sure that they will be a excellent leader out of her. Lu Shan couldn't be more happy, she wanted to jump up and down and hug Lu Xun for taking her under his wing, but she had to remain under control otherwise it'll not look too good on her.
A excited smile grew across her lips and finally she took a deep bow to the three leaders in thanks and in respect for them. Keeping her head low, but her voice loud enough for them to hear Lu Shan began to speak. "Thank you my Lord. I won't take these responsibilities lightly. I will become the best I can be and with Lord Lu Xun and Lord Ling Tong training me I don't have a single doubt in my mind that they can train me to be the warrior I need to be. I know it'll only become more difficult for me now, but it won't stop me. For that I thank you all a million times over."
gpt
Soon the group of them left, heading their own ways, Lu Meng and Ling Tong were interested in seeing what type of leader this woman would be. Others were dejected like Zhu Ran who had hoped that he would be able to find a student before his rival Lu Xun. Still the overall feel to the whole gathering had been so overwhelming good and positive, that it was easy to see why Lu Shan would be so excited about the whole series of event that had taken place after she had finished her test. A test which the young woman had passed without a single problem at all. Lu Xun walked up and smiled politely as he looked at Lu Shan patting her on her back.
"Good job, you did well, to impress those two isn't easy," he said as he looked at her and then motioned her to follow him, "you will have a lot of work to do soon," he commented as he looked at her, "first you will have to pick out your own squad to some degree, I have actually found the number of candidates and lowered them down wedding out the trouble makers from the list that would be under your command to two dozen, you will have to decide what you like the most in your trainees, and then pick from there," he said as he walked to his office and handed her the folder with the files over all 24 of the men that she might pick from. "tomorrow they will be given the order to meet with you, and then you are in charge, don't forget that, these people will look to you."
Lu Xun looked at his books and found one on leadership, "this one helped me once when I got my first assignment, it was given to me by Lu Su, Lu Meng's mentor actually, and it might be a great deal of a help to you right now, I would guess at least," he commented as he looked at her giving her a kind smile. "Now, I am sure that you will want to work on that information going over it for a while," he said kindly, "now other news, my wife should be here next week, you can finally meet her, I have written her about you a good deal and she wants to meet with you. Don't worry she can keep a secret too."
human
Lu Shan stood straight as she watched Ling Tong and Lu Meng take their leave. Inside Lu Shan couldn't be more proud and also more scared. She finally proved herself as a warrior, but now lives were depending on her. Deep down Lu Shan knew she couldn't save every life, but she wanted to do all she could to prevent them from dying. Now not only does she have to train to be a great warrior, but also train to be a great leader and the people under her command. This was going to be a new challenge, but Lu Shan knew with Lu Xun watching over her and the will to succeed she possessed then everything will be alright...she hoped so at least.
Feeling Lu Xun pat her back Lu Shan smiled at him and even chuckled softly. "Thank you, my Lord." Lu Shan followed him and listened to everything he said knowing every word was important for her to hear. Lu Xun was doing so much for her that it made motivated Lu Shan to continue her strong dedication. She looked surprised to receive so many to train under her command Lu Shan expected twelve at most for her, but it was clearly not the case. "Two dozen..." She repeated to herself. Two dozen lives she was responsible for. When she received the files Lu Shan knew it was going to be up to her to decide who would be under her command. This was a responsibility completely new to her, but Lu Xun seemed to believe in her so Lu Shan should too. "Thank you sir. I'll make my decisions as well as take care of my other responsibilities."
Lu Shan smiled seeing Lu Xun handing her yet another book that would be useful to her. Lu Xun really was looking out for her it was one of the many reasons why she couldn't be more grateful to have him as a mentor. She took the book from him and held it along with the files. "Thank you sir. Your books are always helpful so I don't have any doubts that this one will help." Her smile seemed to widen hearing his wife was coming to visit him and wanted to meet her. Lu Shan hoped his wife would like her and it'll be wonderful to meet her. "Sir that's great news! I can't wait to meet her and I hope she likes me after we do. If she can keep a secret then that's just less for me to fear. Again thank you sir." She smiled kindly at him then added. "Now, if there's nothing more I suppose I should start working after all I have a new responsibility to take care of along with the others." She smiled and bowed before leaving to begin her busy day.
gpt
The task that Lu Shan had been given was the first challenge of leadership finding those who you would lead. There were many different profiles from the group and many had different abilities and skills. Each of the people had their own skills, own flaws, some had more experience, and some were older then the others as well, she would have to pick up which ones she wanted.
Many of them were farmers, who were entering the army due to the want to get away, actually of the 24, 12 were farmers. Oto Tsuma, Koyo Ita were the most noticeable of the group both coming from poor familes who lost everything due to floods. There were also Lu Ming, Xian Tai, who came from the rural back country and most likely had never been outside a mile from their homes before. All four of which had most likely never even picked up a bow or weapon before. Ma Feng and Ma Ang were brothers who were older then the others and lost their farm and the entry in the army was their last way to make money for their familes. 8 of which were from the cities, Ma Yang, and Ma Sung being from the capital of Wu, both having grown up on the streets the army was an way out for them both. There were a couple of odd options from sea fairing families, a Xu Yuan, was a man who was young and came from a family who owned a ferry and as well as his sister Xu Mi who demanded that she get to spend her time with her brother. The last one was Ming Yan, who was actually a reformed pirate who had been caught redhanded many years before. His biggest edge being his battle experience, which was rather high, even though he remained rather young.
Lu Shan would have to pick though this list, going over each of them and figuring which ones were the ones that would best fit her style. She would have a lot of teaching to do and working with a variety of personalities most likely as she taught each of them archery and the skills they would need to survive in battle.
human
As Lu Shan over viewed the list of privates that she'll have to choose from there were quite a few she had doubts about. Some didn't even seem like they could be warriors, but archers maybe. Being an archer had its ups and downs just like any other weapon did. Archers were always a distance away, but if skilled enough some could fight up front like Sun Quan's sister Sun Shang Xiang and others could ride horseback, but Lu Shan doubted she could with a troop of archers, sword wielding warriors maybe, but not archers. The problem was that archers weren't as heavily armored as the rest of the army so if a warrior broke through and started heading towards them a great amount of the troops can die unless he was taken out before then. With that in mind Lu Shan decided to look for the ones that would have sharp eyes, speed and movement. Her worries had to be on their own defense on the battlefield.
As she read each profile carefully Lu Shan had to determine how to fit the people together like a puzzle. She needed people that could fill in the weakness of the others rending each weakness dealt with unless that person is dead or gone. That was the problem...if someone died then someone else's weakness could be at risk so not only that, but she needed to figure out how to make her group difficult to kill. Perhaps a hidden location so they can attack the unsuspecting army or remain in a base in a high and difficult to reach location. There were so many decisions to make and so many things to think about, but Lu Shan was managing through. Another problem would be how to train each person. Farmers would listen, but skill in archery will be lacking. Most of the people she was given were unlikely to even touch a bow before. The former pirate seemed good in combat, but how difficult would it be for him to listen? Lu Shan has seen Gan Ning and seen he only listens to Lu Meng, but anyone else he wouldn't listen to. That was the thing she feared would be the case, but risks were have to be made.
Lu Shan didn't even know how long it took her to make her choices, but after reading the book Lu Xun gave her Lu Shan made her choices. Tomorrow she'll meet the people of her choice and their training shall begin, but Lu Shan prayed she made the right choices. Lu Shan went around the camp to inform the people she chose would be in her squad and told them to meet her where the archers trained early in the morning. When she was finished Lu Shan went on with her every day tasks of training and taking care of chores around the camp and Lu Xun's house. Finally when night arrived Lu Shan took her bath and went to bed then fell into sleep immediately.
gpt
The following morning the group had gotten together over a short period of time, the first person to arrive was Ma Yang, he had a feeling that he needed to show up and he beat the others by a good half hour or so. Ma Yang was a young man tall lanky with a rather thin frame, and messy dark hair that stood up randomly in certain places, he wore the most simple of clothes that one would find in a city as he sat waiting. Ma Feng and Ma Ang soon joined them, these two look pretty much a like, They were rather short, but both very strong, they were both dark haired like Yang, but both of them were bald completely having taken up shaving their hair when they were younger.
Oto and Koyo were the next to arrive, the pair had become friends as they spent time at the camp, neither had been their long, but the fact they came form the same region was something they could bond over. Oto was a bit shorter then Yang, and strong, but nearly as strong as the twins happened to be. He had a odd white hair with dark eyes which was a different combination. Then Koyo was average looking not tall not short, not strong or weak, with an average looking brown hair style that was common place, everything about him yelled average.
The last to arrive was of course the pirate, he was dashing tall strong, a charming looking man, he had long dark red hair and light blue eyes, that showed that he was a different sort if nothing else did. He grab did too, brightly colored and he stood out against the rest around himself. He wore a straight sword at his side as he looked around and paused for a moment figuring he would have to work with these newbies, and wondering what type of man they had given him to work with, only knowing that the report that the guy had done something impressive at some test.
human
Lu Shan made her way to the meeting place she told the others to arrive to and she was happy with what she saw. Everyone she chose was there waiting for her arrival. Looking at each of them she could see from appearances that she made decent choices so far, but what mattered was if they could have what it takes to be a archer and if they didn't it was up to Lu Shan to train them so they would be. She was carrying training bows for everyone to use and practice with. Hopefully nothing will go wrong by this, but Lu Shan had to start training them with their weapons sooner or later and the sooner the better. One of them caught her eye, the pirate she feared about. He was obviously different then the rest and seeing him with a sword was a bit troubling since he won't be using that sword much, but at the same time it would help it the enemy was coming towards them.
When Lu Shan got to them she took a moment to breathe before saying anything. She wanted to make a good first impression, but didn't know how to do it exactly. When she felt ready Lu Shan stepped in front of them and stood straight. "Good morning. I'm your squad commander Lu Shan. As you probably know you'll be serving as archers and after reading your profiles I can assume none of you have held one before." She walked towards the group and handed them each a bow and their own set of arrows one by one. "Now there are a few things you must possess to master the bow. Sharp eyesight, agility, and a strong arm. I hope those won't be a problem."
When she finished passing out the bows and arrows Lu Shan pulled out her own. The targets lined up for them to practice on were just ahead of them so she turned to face them. She pulled a arrow out and pulled it back to aim then without much time wasted she let it go. The arrow flew and hit a bulls eye in the target then one after another she fired one arrow at each of the six targets. Hitting the final one she lowered her bow and walked towards the targets to pull her arrows out. The purpose being Lu Shan wanted to display her skill as well as show what a good archer should be able to do. "Now line up to a target. I want to see what you can do already so I can see what needs to be worked on." She explained. "I'm sure you'll make fine archers when your training is completed."
gpt
The group of farmers, along with the city boy and the pirate gathered around as they listened to Lu Shan, most of them had never fired or even seen a bow in their life, much less ever used on to even aim at a simple target. The farmers gathered up their weapons to train with, Oto looked it over calmly as he tried figure it out by just looking at the bow, he was more of a thinker then a man of action. The twins on the other hand tried right away to hit the target, which didn't do either of them a lick of good as they both missed the targets completely the arrows ending up hitting the dirt either in front of or behind the target, Oto, Koyo and Yang faired little better in their attempts to fire a bow.
Yan, the pirate, smiled as he looked at the target and calmly aimed his bow and struck the center of the target, and smiled looking at the teacher who was his boss, "Well, actually, this isn't my first time handling one of these, on a ship you sometimes have to use these a lot so that you can attack enemies when they are far away," he said with a confident look in his eyes as he looked at the others, a bit of arrogance seemed to be rather natural to the colorful man as he took three more and hit the other's targets for them in a row. "I am only here cause I got caught, not cause I am some incapable bump on a log," he said with a smirk.
"Well, I will show you, I can do this too," Yang said defensively as he took the arrow and aimed it firing and aiming horribly badly, the arrow actually ended up going right at Lu Shan as he miss fired the arrow from his bow. Panic showed on the face of the city boy as he looked at the arrows path knowing that for sure that he couldn't alter the path or reach out and move Lu Shan out of the path of the arrow that was heading right at her.
human
As Lu Shan watched as the newcomers took their shots, but she wasn't surprised by the results. She knew there was a lot of work to be done for the farmers and twins, but in time she was sure that they would become excellent archers once their training has began. As she passed by Lu Shan helped Oto understand how to load and aim the arrow into the bow knowing it was difficult to understand for someone that wasn't much for action, but she needed a thinker on the team. Oto would probably be the one that required most of her attention, but after seeing him fire the arrow at least it hit the target. Luckily Koyo and Yang didn't have too much trouble at least they had hit their targets even if it wasn't exactly on the level she wanted.
Yan didn't surprise her either since he was experienced in combat, one of the reasons why she added him to begin with, but that arrogance might be a problem if it gets too out of hand. So far he seemed willing to listen, but she'll just have to see what exactly she was dealing with in time. "I expected you would do well Yan, but it's still worth seeing what level you're on and there's always room for improvement. Just remember don't be a show off in battle." She didn't appreciate the fact he tried to show off, but it did get the others fired up so she couldn't be too angry.
That's when Lu Shan made her mistake. For a moment she took her eyes off Yang not seeing that he was aiming rather badly. It was at the last moment did Lu Shan heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air did she see it heading her way. By then it was too late. Lu Shan cried out in pain as the arrow stabbed itself deep into her side. She grabbed her side feeling the arrow penetrating her and fell to her knees crying out in agony. Blood was staining the clothing she was wearing feeling herself unable to bare the pain.
gpt
Yan looked at the city boy who fired the arrow and then saw where it had hit, he motioned the others away, as he moved up next to Lu Shan, putting his hand on the wound and looking at her as he looked at the others, "City boy, go tell the doctor to run, you run to the medical tent, and tell them that I am bringing Lu Shan along as he looked right at him," he said as he looked at him before the worried young man ran off in the direction of tent to announce the arrival so that they would be ready for them.
"Oto, go find Lu Xun and tell him about this, Twins find Lu Ming and Ling Tong and tell them about what happened. Koyo, toss me your shirt," he said as he caught the shirt and used it to put pressure on the wound without moving out the arrow from Lu Shan as he then picked her up in his arms. As he picked her up he felt her body against his and blinked as he quickly put two and two together and blinked as he realized his teacher was a female. He looked at her and could tell that he needed to say something. He turned to Koyo, "Go tell the medics to prepare for a wounded female," he said knowing the treatment and body for a woman and a male were different from each other.
"Lady Shan, focus on something, I don't want to have the rep of getting my first boss killed on my first day of training," he said to her as he carried her to the hospital, he had figured out a lot from the reactions, he guessed why she had picked this group, and he wondered if she had noticed how good they worked and reacted. He carried her to the hospital the whole way as he then handed her over to the doctors who were waiting for her and had a room already prepped for her.
human
Despite in great pain, Lu Shan quickly picked up on Yan's leadership at work. She managed to look at him as he directed everyone in an effective manner. He seemed to know exactly what to do and the others did as he was told. As much as she wanted to marvel at her pirvates working to help her after such a accident happened the pain just took all the attention she had left. She could barely touch the wound without causing herself more pain then before. Lu Shan used all her might to hold back her tears from the extensive pain. She could feel her blood escaping her body from the wound. She wanted to just pull it out, but it was both a stupid and bad idea.
Feeling the pressure pushing down on her wound Lu Shan let out a pained grunt trying to hide her feminine cries. As Yan tried to pick her up, Lu Shan used her hand to keep the pressure on her wound knowing that was the best thing she could do for herself right now. Little did she know that by picking her up Yan figured out her secret. It was only until he said 'wounded female' did she realize that he knew. She looked up at him in surprise letting a gasp exit her lips. By calling her 'lady' it only confirmed her suspicions. Well at least now she could keep herself from having to change her voice while she was in this pain.
She grunted in his arms using her normal voice. "I guess you figured it out...don't worry you're not gonna loose me..." She told him to help him worry less. Though their was a lot of blood staining her clothing. On the way there Lu Shan worked hard to reframe from touching the arrow, but as it moved on occasion it was impossible to let out a cry or two in pain. Relief washed over her as she was handed over to the doctors. At this point her secret wasn't her main concern. It was the arrow piercing into her side.
gpt
The doctors were able to put the young woman on the bed, as they found that arrow and carefully removed it and cleaned the wound and pressurized the wound, and bandaged it up after they made some wound as cleaned up and fixed up as best as they could. The doctors had given the young woman a strong drink of alcohol before they had done the work on her arrow wound. They would have to go in later and put stitches for the wound later, but at the moment, they had to make sure that it didn't get infected which would end up with Lu Shan having a far more serious problem set of problems then she would have normally.
Lu Xun as the first one to arrive at the hospital, as he wanted to check in on his own student, he was a good bit worried about her as he walked in he walked in and talked to the doctors and got the news about what had happened with her and figured out that she had been hit by an arrow and that she was going to be fine in with a few days of rest on her own hands. Lu Xun walked into her room and looked over at her giving her a small smile as he stood beside her bed, knowing that the pain had to be hard, he gave her a sympathetic look on his face.
Ling Tong and Lu Meng heard about the incident but both of them were not able to go check on her, but the both would most likely go and check on her, Lu Meng was just sitting with a lot of paperwork in front of himself that he had to do. He also had to meet with various other officers. Ling Tong was in the middle of training, he would show up at some point, but he was out scouting the area around where they were. He was with some of the low ranking officers teaching them scouting ideas that they could use in the future if they were asked to do such things.
human
With the alcohol in her system the pain of removing the arrow had weakened to a point Lu Shan didn't have to suffer too badly in order to have it taken out of her body. She still cried out and fought back her tears, but with determination she refused to go down without a fight. She took the pain she did have to suffer through until the doctors were finally done. With the arrow pulled out of her and her wound stable for now Lu Shan laid in her bed. She hoped no one who didn't know her secret already would find out this way. Lu Shan looked down to see the bandage had wrapped around her wound and her chest to cover her breast, but it wasn't in the amounts she used to keep them hidden. They were easily spotted, but hopefully no one who didn't know about the truth already would come in.
It was a relief to see Lu Xun again by her side. It meant a lot to see one of her mentors giving her a comforting smile and thankful it wasn't Lu Meng or Ling Tong instead. They must be too busy to see her and she thanked god for that otherwise they would know. It seemed like each day more and more people were figuring out her secret. It was only a matter of time before Lu Shan would just have to stop hiding it. She laid in her bed thinking this. A worried look washed over her. Lu Shan was going to stop hiding once her training was done and she got the treatment she wanted, but now...it seemed that everyone was finding out sooner or later. For a moment Lu Shan looked at Lu Xun's sympathetic face and gave him a smile.
"It isn't as bad as it looks. It hurts, but I was going to have to be in pain sooner or later anyway. I might as well get a taste of what will come huh?" She smiled trying to joke a little to make Lu Xun less worried about her. Lu Xun already had too much on his plate he really shouldn't be here. Lu Shan wasn't important enough to cause him to loose the time he could be using for more productive things, but Lu Shan will admit it was nice to see he was worried and have him by her side for awhile.
gpt
Lu Xun looked at her and blinked for a moment, and then nodded his head as he smiled. She was taking this with a good sense of self, it was a good thing to see. He knew that sometimes getting harmed and injured so early in their training career would have horrible effects on the confidence or the wiliness to work hard, causing people with potential to be trashed, and this had ruined the officers for good, even after they had recovered.
"Well, that is good, now, just think about what went wrong, and you will be able to fix it and improve on what you are doing," he said as he looked at her. "I will tell Lu Meng and Ling Tong, that it isn't anything major and they shouldn't worry about this," he said pausing for a moment, "I have great things in my image for you, if there is anything I can do for you, then tell me if you need anything at all. I will find a way to get it to you," Lu Xun said truthfully, she was his top student and prodigy as well. He figured that he wanted to mentor this young woman to be someone big.
"I will talk to you later," he said before he started to leave, he looked outside and paused before turning and smiling at Lu Shan for a good moment or two. "Well, it is interesting you have seemed to made a impression on your troop, I think that your people must like you as all of them our out here waiting to make sure that your okay," he said to her before he headed out leaving her with the good bit of news that she might like to hear.
human
Lu Shan couldn't let something like this hurt her pride. Her wound hurt her body beyond all pain she's felt before and she should blame herself for letting something like this happen and not paying attention. On the inside it did hurt her confidence, but she couldn't let Lu Xun see her broken from her own mistake. He was already doing and worrying so much and Lu Shan's confidence shouldn't be one of them. Besides she had to be a leader now and learn to tolerate pain, because it'll only get worse from here. Once her time to enter battle would come Lu Shan had to be ready to face the pain.
She smiled at Lu Xun listening to him and seeing he was happy that she appeared fine. The advice he gave was one Lu Shan will definitely take, all of Lu Xun's advice was useful and insightful so Lu Shan always listened to him. "Yes sir, I will. After all I might be here for a few days so I'll have time to rethink what I'm doing, but I'll get back up on my feet as fast as possible." Her heart nearly jumped with joy hearing Lu Xun's sweet and kind words. She was nearly taken by it. He...he believed in her...he was truly her best friend here. "Thank you sir! You don't know how happy that makes me. I won't let you down!"
Seeing he was going to leave Lu Shan closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. There wasn't much she could do with this wound; she could barely move as it is. Then that's when she heard him. Lu Shan looked at her mentor after hearing her troop was waiting to hear about her. They were waiting for her. Maybe Lu Xun was right...she must have done something right to get them to like her. Even that arrogant pirate was here. She smiled at him after hearing the good news and watched him leave. Any internal pain she was feeling was gone.
gpt
Lu Xun looked at the woman for a moment and tilted his head as he smiled, and then shook his head, "you are going to go places, either as someone's wife if they can get you to settle down, or maybe even as the partner of some warrior who you work with and help make this kingdom stronger," he said as he walked out of the room and looked at the group of men who were gathered outside, he told them that they were to meet with her then meet with him in the training area, he would help out his prized student and her aims a bit while she recovered.
Oto walked in and looked at the chart for a moment reading over it he paused and then looked up at Lu Shan and smiled, "so, you a woman, always wanted to know if there were any females who were in command, it seems that we found the only one, that or at least someone who is kind when they help, that is better then most," he commented as he smiled for a moment looking at Lu Shan.
The city boy Yang walked in second and bowed looking down for a moment, "I am so sorry for what happened, it was all my mistake, I would understand if you do not want to have me in your unit anymore, it isn't right to shot a commanding officer and all," he said letting out a soft sigh as he looked at her. He felt really guilty that he had done what he had, and foolish as well for making such a stupid mistake. He was worried that this would pretty much end his chance to be in the army too.
human
Lu Shan couldn't be anymore happy to hear such words coming from her mentor. He made her feel even more determined to fight for the Wu empire. She doubted she would become a wife or even be a good one since all her years of training to learn how to be a wife. How to behave, how to treat him, how to cook for him,....how to pleasure him, but Lu Shan knew none of this. She's spent so long pretending to be a man she had to learn what it took to appear and act like a man instead of the usual training a young woman had to, but it would be possible to become a wife...she just hoped he would be okay with a inadequate wife.
Now being a warrior was different. She won't have any problems being the partner of a warrior. Lu Shan wanted to fight for the Wu empire. To strengthen it, to defend it. Everything she could to repay everyone for her training, but now she hoped her training wouldn't lessen or the men would go easy on her. "Thank you Lord Lu Xun. It means a lot to hear you believe in me. Maybe...I could be a wife...but for now my goal is to serve Wu and my Lords." She smiled at him softly and watched him leave.
Seeing Oto walk in Lu Shan looked at him and watched as he read her chart. She chuckled seeing him looking so calm about the discovery almost like he wasn't surprised. Softly she sighed and answered. "Yes, I'm a woman, but I don't intend on anyone taking me lightly for those who find out. In this camp I haven't seen many women so I'm not too surprised that there aren't many females in command." Once Yang entered Lu Shan smiled softly looking at him apologizing to her. She gave him a friendly smile. "Yang it's okay, it was a mistake and it was my fault. I should've been paying attention. With more training I'm sure you will make a fine archer. I want you to continue to serve in our troop."
gpt
A few days past from when she was put in the hospital, nothing big happened, she had only a day or so till she was going to be let out of the hospital, her men were training hard to improve all of them wanting to get better and make a name for themselves in time. The group of 6 were focused on doing the best they could so they could also show off for their commander once she got healthy. All of them also managed to keep the secret from others that they were working for a woman and not a man. It wasn't that hard as no one really asked any of them about the issue.
On that day though, one Lu Meng slipped into the hospital and walked in to finally check up on Lu Shan, he walked in and looked at the person pausing as he looked at her, at this point he couldn't tell if she was a female or a male, and had no clue about her secret, "So, young man, how have you been doing," he asked looking at Lu Shan for a moment, "I have heard from Lu Xun you have been doing good things, when my best student tells me he has found his best student it normally means that student is very good," he mentioned as he looked at her.
"Well, I came to tell you something important," he said pausing for a moment feeling awkward, there was something cute about the guy, and that made things feel really strange for the commander, he let out a deep breath as he thought about the natural awkwardness that came from him at that moment, "anyhow, um, in a week we are going on a small raid of a area controlled by Cao Cao's forces it is going to be a fight, a small one, but one, we will send the unit your group is assigned to, so be ready," he said before he turned and left quickly feeling weirded out.
human
The only good thing about laying in bed for these past days was that Lu Shan was finally able to catch up on her sleep. Her body hasn't felt this rested ever since Lu Xun started training her. When she was awake the doctors taking care of her were nice enough to bring her books to read until the day they would finally release her from the hospital. She couldn't help, but wonder if her men were training and if they were getting better at archery. Lu Shan had hopes for them, but some men might slack off once they see their commander is unable to lead them. Though from what she could see Lu Shan didn't believe those were her men at the same time she had to wonder if they said anything to anyone about the truth about their commander.
When Lu Meng slipped into her room Lu Shan was quick to use the book she was reading to hide her chest. With the wrapping around her chest it would be easy to see the round shape of her breast, but with them hidden and her hair still pulled up it would almost be seem less. She didn't know if Lu Meng knew or now, but she couldn't take any chances. The face Lu Meng made looked like one of confusion. Was it difficult to tell if she was a male or female when she was like this? Could he see the feminine shape of her body under her covers or did he see her covering her breast with the book? When he spoke a bit of relief washed over her. Lu Shan fixed her voice back to her male voice before speaking to him. "Thank you sir. It means a lot to be thought of in such a way from a highly respected Lord."
Her attention was completely focused on him once she heard he had important news, but strangely enough there was a awkward vibe between them. Was something bothering him? He seemed bothered or conflicted by something, but before she could ask if he was okay Lu Meng told her the news. Finally all this time of waiting a battle was coming while it was small it was still a battle that could only grow bigger and bigger as time passed. The flames of war had begun and Wu happens to be the masters of flames. She felt ready, the only problem was if she would be healed in time and her troop ready to play their parts. Before Lu Shan had the opportunity to reply Lu Meng was gone. Now she wondered if he was okay maybe she'll ask him once she was able to leave. It isn't good to have their leader under such conditions when he's needed most.
gpt
A few days past as they always seem to pass, things were getting better for Lu Shan as she was let out of the hospital after making a complete and full recovery, she still had a few days before they were going to march out to attack a small outpost that was manned in the north by Cao Cao. It would be a minor fight, but for her and her men most likely it would be a large one, most of her men had never been in battle, all but the pirate actually. They had spend the time working hard with Lu Xun working on their archery, with the help of said pirate as well.
Lu Xun had managed to get the 6 of them put into the same barracks together, so that they could work and grow closer as friends as well. It wasn't a different tactic and he figured that Lu Shan would need a close nit group so that they would follow her orders. Each of the group of course had their strengths and weaknesses, and were still very green as well. Still, they wanted to get better, and seemed a good group, Lu Shan had choosen her group rather well, which wasn't a surprise for him.
Lu Xun left the group by mid morning as he went to talk to his teacher and go over the actions that would be need for that minor strike, which units would attack from where how they would supply the attack, who would led the attack who would support the attack as well. It would be a simple affair but even if one could mess this type of thing up. Then if one did mess up, lives were on the line and these commanders knew this fact ever so well. They thus would put together the best plan possible for the attack.
human
The days were long and dull until the day Lu Shan was finally allowed to leave with a full bill of health. She healed completely without any horrible effects on her body and ready to fight again. She knew the days of the first battle were arriving soon so she had to train again to make up for the lost time of training. Luckily Lu Shan found out her troops great progress that came along excellently all thanks to Lu Xun. If it wasn't for him Lu Shan wouldn't know how she was going to train them in just a few days, but one thing was for sure and that was she had chosen a great team of men.
She spent most of the day training her body to get back into shape and pushing herself even farther then before. With her troop having a completed training allowed her to have the time to train herself once again. Of course she spent time with her troops by seeing the skills they've developed under Lu Xun's leadership and care. She wanted to train them herself, but the accident prevented her to do so. At least her troop showed much respect to her as though she did train them. As long as they were ready for combat then in the end that's what mattered.
By mid day Lu Shan's body was exhausted from the excessive training she put her own body into an decided it would be best to rest for awhile after all she didn't wanted to be sore the day of the battle. Lu Shan decided to return to Lu Xun's home and take a warm bath to relax her tensed body. No body was home and no body was expecting her for the rest of the day so Lu Shan relaxed herself for once. She let her hair down seeing it grew to flow over her shoulders she'll have to cut it later to keep herself from looking too feminine. She undid her armor and took off all the wrappings that hid her womanly chest and shape then slipped into the warmth of the bath closing her eyes to relax.
gpt
It just so happened that Ling Tong was in camp looking for Lu Xun, he was going to be under his command for a different assignment that went along with the one that Lu Shan and her men were going to don in their first action. The young man looked around when he heard movement from the bathroom. Ling Tong went in and looked at Lu Shan for a moment pausing as he looked at her, raising an eye brow and shocked to turning himself around as he looked at the wall, for a moment.
"I am sorry Miss," he said embarrassed a fact that could be told from his tone alone, never the less seeing the red faced young man who was not used to walking in on a woman who was taking a bath. Ling Tong took a deep breath to compose himself as much as was possible in the short period of time as he collected his thoughts and his own voice again. "Miss, I have no idea why your in Lu Xun's bathroom, would you be perhaps, Lord Lu Shan's lover," he asked as he looked away the whole time not figuring her for who she was.
"Would you happen to know where Lord Lu Xun or your lover happen to be," he asked as he continued to look away not wanting to look back at the very beautiful woman who was taking a bath at the moment. He very much needed to find Lu Xun, and he knew if he couldn't find Lu Xun, he could find Lu Shan, and then the chances for finding Xun would only increase and thus why he asked where both happened to be at that moment.
human
In the heat of her bliss Lu Shan heard the door open. Her heart jumped instantly at the sound. Who would be walking in!? Lu Xun would never come in while she was bathing so who was opening the door! Instantly she covered her breast with her cheeks blushing red and let out a instinctive scream in surprise, but it was too late. She blushed even brighter sinking deeper into the water to hide her embarrassment and her body. That voice...Ling Tong!? Why was he here!? Lu Shan didn't even dare look at the door using her hair to cover her face, but as she listened to him asking questions it become obvious he didn't know who she was.
She couldn't answer him at first, Lu Shan had to make a decision. She could tell him the truth or avoid it completely pretending to be this "lover" he thought she was. Inside Lu Shan thought she should take advantage of the moment to cover the truth, but in honesty she had to wonder if it was even worth it. Her training was complete and her entire squad knew. Slowly everyone was finding out and deep down she was sick of lying to her friends. Lu Shan decided it was time to tell the truth. She was sick of the hiding, the fear, the lies, Lu Shan got what she wanted and proved herself there was no point of keeping up this facade.
Slowly she sat up in the bath tub and looked towards the door. This time not even bothering to change her voice to him. Taking a deep breath Lu Shan started to speak. "Um...Ling Tong? I am Lu Shan...it might seem like me, but trust me...it is..." Lu Shan didn't even know if he would believe her, but it was worth it. If it took more then her word to prove it then so be it, but she prayed it wouldn't take much for Ling Tong to recognize her.
gpt
Ling Tong blinked as he looked away from Lu Shan still as he processed the information that was given to him. This was Lu Shan, not some woman who was his lover, Lu Shan was a female. He blinked, a shocked and surprised look on his face as he looked away still. "So the young commander is a woman," he said his tone showing a bit of just how surprised that he happened to be at the news that woman was the young officer that was being talked about so much in camp.
"So, um, I have some questions for you, Lady Shan," he said as he felt awkward as could be standing there with a naked woman in the room who happened to work for him indirectly. Yeah, that made things a bit strange, especially since it was obvious that Lu Shan was a beautiful woman and attractive as well. He took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts together after a long moment of silence which hanged between the two of them.
"First, is Lu Shan your real name," he asked wanting to know if it was her name or it was something that she made up. "Secondly what is the relationship between yourself and Lu Xun, are you just mentor and student," he asked curious if his friend had taken a liking and was taking her into his bed. He hoped not, but having seen her beauty, he could see why he would be tempted to do such a thing. "Also, do your men know that your a woman, I can predict that might cause some serious problems if they don't know down the line."
human
Judging by the way she heard Ling Tong's voice he was shocked and confused, but it wasn't a surprise. After all she couldn't blame him since everything he believed about her was a lie. Lu Shan didn't know if she should get out of the bath and get dressed so they wouldn't have this awkward feeling between them, but she was too scared to leave the bath with him only a turn away to seeing her naked. "Um...yes...I'm a woman." She replied with a awkward tone in her voice. A light awkward chuckle escaped her lips as she tried to avoid looking at the doorway.
When she heard he had questions for her Lu Shan shrugged a little despite he couldn't see her. "Oh okay." She responded rather calmly, but inside she was terrified with what he might ask her. The long awkward silence between them lasted longer then Lu Shan had thought it would. The only sound that could be heard was the movement of water as Lu Shan occasionally having to move to stay somewhat comfortable. She decided this was far too awkward for the two of them if they were going to talk about this situation. Just before Ling Tong started asking his questions Lu Shan stood up and the sound of water falling from her body echoed in the bathroom just as he started to speak. Lu Shan didn't intend for it to happen, but there was no going back now.
Lu Shan decided to press on and get dressed to erase what awkward tension was between them. She used a towel to dry off her body as he asked his question and making sure he didn't decide to be cheeky and sneak a peek. The question about Lu Xun nearly made her blush. He didn't think there was some sort of non-professional relationship between them, right!? After he finished asking, Lu Shan started to pull on her causal clothing as she answered. "Um...well...Lu Shan is my real name. I decided it wasn't necessary to change it since it could be seen as a unisex name. There's definitely nothing like what you're implying going on between me and Lu Xun. He's happily married and loyal to his wife and I have no interest in ruining a marriage we're just student and mentor. And after the arrow accident my entire troop was made aware of it." Once she was dressed completely she looked into the doorway and cleared her throat to get his attention. "Should we talk somewhere more...um...comfortable?"
gpt
The awkwardness was in the air, it was so thick that he could feel it as clearly as could be. He was still surprised that the young woman was here, but at least he knew that her working with Lu Xun wasn't so that Xun could sleep with her. That meant that his judgement had more validation then if he took her under his weeks to sleep with her alone. He had heard stories of that, where people took women under their arms to turn into their mistresses or secret lovers, He was pretty sure their boss had tried that once or twice himself.
"Yes, I shall meet you outside in the shade, we shall go over your assignment and what your going to need to do while we are on our mission," he said still looking away form the woman, there was no way he was going to turn. He knew that this awkwardness of being with a beautiful naked woman in eye show was something not avoidable at the moment. He just wasn't used to it, he spent most of his time working killing, not checking out places beautiful women might be located at. That meant never expecting finding that a male he barely knew happened to be a beautiful woman, that stuff never happened.
He left quickly, if nothing else showed how much he was ready to leave the tent, this would show that fact clear as day. He walked out of the room quickly moving fast as he wanted to get out of the spot before anything else odd happened to him. What next, Lu Xun would walk out pretending to hide the fact he was a female too. He remember the joke years before, that Lu Xun looked rather like a female in hiding. He sat down under a tree as he gathered his thoughts, it took a moment to clear his mind.
Ling Tong pulled out a scroll and undid it. He was sure the young woman knew how to read and would be able to figure out her orders by reading them, but he wanted to explain them in person, always worked out for the best that way. He used various objects to show where they were attacking the outpost, lightly manned and with wood walls, Lu Shan and her men would be on the northside where a small hill was. From here they would be able to fire into the fort itself causing chaos and maybe a easy victory too.
human
It was clear as day to Lu Shan as she watched Ling Tong quickly leave the tent without looking at her. Honestly she didn't expect Ling Tong to be the type to be so shy like around her. If anything he seemed like one of the men who experienced women the most along with Gan Ning. This was a side of him that she didn't expect from someone as confident and even sarcastic to be so jumpy and embarrassed. Then Lu Xun's words came back to her mind, everyone would react differently to her knowing she was a girl and not the man she made herself into. Still she had to wonder why he asked if Lu Xun was sleeping with her. That kind of question nearly made her heart stop that he thought of something like that, but it seemed as though he understood her better now.
Once he was gone Lu Shan put her back against the tent wall and looked up at the tent ceiling. How was this going to go...the battle was coming up and now was the time she decided to stop hiding herself, but hopefully things could work out better. Lu Shan decided it would be best to give Ling Tong a few minutes to himself and made sure her casual clothing didn't reveal anything. One thing was for sure it was going to be great being a woman again. She could stop pretending to be something she wasn't and Ling Tong would be one of the first men besides her troop and Lu Xun who would get to see a new side of her. She brushed her hair after drying it and left it down after all Ling Tong would have to get use to this new development and there was no point in hiding it anymore anyway.
After a few minutes Lu Shan walked out of the tent and quickly spotted Ling Tong under the tree. It was the first time she could view Ling Tong with a clear mind instead of fearing the others. She could see how handsome he was even more then before. It seemed odd to be sitting under a tree with him, but there was no avoiding it. She could see the concentration on his face as she studied to scroll before him and oddly enough it made him even more attractive. Lu Shan knew how handsome men were in Wu, but until now she didn't know just how much with a clear mind.
She took a breath and started to walk towards him to calm herself down hoping her appearance as a woman wouldn't frighten him again or send him running away. Lu Shan stopped once she was close enough and spoke up. "Are those the battle plans for the upcoming battles? I'm sorry you caught me at such a bad time to discuss them with me and Lord Lu Xun." She gave him a friendly smile trying to chase away any awkwardness or bad feelings between them as she sat down next to him and started looking at the scroll in his hands with required her to get closer to him.
gpt
Ling Tong blinked as he looked at her and nodded his head, "yes, these are the battle plans, you are do as it says, it should keep you out of danger but give you serious battle experience as well," he admitted as he looked at her giving her a friendly smile in return. The awkwardness was so very much still there, but it was there for another reason. The confident Ling Tong was back, but there was something that couldn't be undone. He couldn't go back and not find Lu Shan to be one of the most beautiful and sexy women he had ever seen in his whole life.
Ling Tong ran his fingers over the table for a moment, "you will see and do things outside of the norm, you will have to kill people, that isn't the easiest thing to do. I am sure most of your men have never done so before. The first time is the hardest, and you have to just get though it," he said with a professional tone, but then smiled, "except if your me and your so good you don't have to worry about nerves or anything like that," he said with a big of a grin. "Anyhow I shall be on my way, I have much to do to get prepared for this battle as well, but I will be counting on you."
Time would pass for Lu Shan to read over the plans to send out letters or to meet with her people, they were gathered around practicing still with Lu Xun as he went though the motions with them on what they were going to have to do and giving them their proper bows and arrows to those who only had practice weapons they had been using for training up to that point.
human
Despite the awkwardness still there between them, but it was good seeing he still had his confidence around her. Something about his arrogance was enjoyable which was shocking since Lu Shan normally hated people like that, but still seeing him act like his old self again brought a smile to her face and even made her giggle. Even though she was happy Ling Tong was acting normal again she had to focus on the plan for the upcoming battle. She didn't want to be the one that didn't know what to do once she was there and ended up getting her troop and herself killed. Now that she was thinking about it Lu Shan felt the pressure that every leader of something felt making her a bit tense, but thanks to Ling Tong's playfulness it seemed to be minimal.
"I wish I could have your confidence Ling Tong. I know it'll be difficult to take my first life, but with you out there I'm gonna want to pick up my game." She smiled at him with a light chuckle. While she might have said that inside Lu Shan felt fearful. She's never killed anyone before. How was it going to feel? Was she going to regret it or adore it? There was so many things she was worried about, but in the end Lu Shan just cared about protecting her friends and if that meant having to take another man's life then...so be it. Lu Shan knew what she was signing up for and was willing to make the scarifies of destroying her own innocence for her family and friends. She took a breath and gave Ling Tong a smile saying. "Okay then, I'll see you around camp then."
Now that Ling Tong was gone Lu Shan supposed she should visit her troops and Lu Xun to explain their side of the plan and see what wisdom the young strategist can give them. That and it would be good to inform them that she decided to no longer hide her true self. So now with the freedom to do so Lu Shan got up from the shade of the tree and started looking around camp for them. Lu Xun truly did too much for her he even trained her troops after she was hospitalized. Deep down Lu Shan began to doubt she would be a good leader maybe she was more of a warrior then a leader, but she had to trust Lord Lu Meng's decision. Though it doesn't change the fact that sometimes she wished she was a private again that way all she had to worry about was her own training and live without this pressure of failure if she made one simple mistake.
gpt
As Lu Shan approached her men they were at various stages of training many of them were finishing up, with one or just nearing finishing up as well. At that moment Oto and Yang were practicing their archery, it wasn't perfect but it was miles and miles along compared to where it had been when they had started. The both of them were hitting their targets more then half of the time, and they knew at least how to handle a bow now where as before they couldn't even manage to do that even.
"Lady Shan," Oto commented as he looked over at Lu Shan a bit nervous still remembering how he messed up and caused her to get harmed in the first place. The thoughtful young man made sure to be quiet while Lu Meng was giving a talk to a couple of the others before he walked over and blinked as he looked at Lu Shan. He had a serious look on his face as he looked her over, the surprise for him didn't show at all. He was glad that she was a woman, for he found himself attracted to her and if she were a male that would be worrisome for him, as he wasn't into men in that way.
Lu Meng paused and looked her in the eye, "Well, I heard you were keeping a secret, most interesting, hmm, you are a odd one, Lady Shan, hiding your identity to train. I can't say that has ever happened in this army before," he said bluntly as he looked at her, "anyhow, we are going to leave soon, I came to look over your men to make sure they were ready. They are ready for your assignment, it shouldn't be to hard, but be prepared sometimes the easiest missions can turn into the most challenging."
human
The results of the men's training was impressive compared to how they first began. There was still room for improvement, but at least now they could use the bows effectively. It was especially enjoyable to see that Oto had improved as well granted he was responsible for injuring her, but Lu Shan felt no grudge honestly it made her feel bad that he was so guilty about it. Even if she wasn't there for a majority of their training, but at the same time there were more important things happening soon. So making it up to her men will have to wait.
What did catch her by surprise was seeing Lu Meng was there, but she shouldn't be too surprised after all the battle was coming up soon. Lu Shan had the idea that he came to investigate to see if her men were fit to see battle. In her eyes they qualified, but she wasn't a intelligent high ranking leader either so his judgement would be the better one. Out of all the handsome and strong men in the camp Lu Shan couldn't help finding Lu Meng the most interesting and attractive. He was wise, powerful, and a great leader, but what chance would she have of having him. Besides this wasn't the time to think about that. Once this war is over maybe Lu Shan would try to find a husband, but for now winning and surviving these next battles was her main concern.
Even though Lu Shan couldn't depict the emotion he felt about learning her secret he seemed almost impressed. It was a bold decision to make, but it was one she saw necessary. Also Lu Shan was relieved that he didn't seem angry with her, but again Lu Meng was a master at concealing his emotions from his face. Yet what he had to say brought a smile to her face for a short moment. "Yes, I apologize from having to lie about my true sex, but I knew as a woman my superiors wouldn't push my limits and hold me back from my full potential. It's a odd and maybe even ignorant plan, but it seemed necessary. I'll be ready my Lord once it's time for battle. Even though I was injured I'm happy to see their training went well and I can say with confidence that we're ready. Ling Tong has already shown me what the plan for me and my men are so all I need is the word and we'll be ready." She spoke confidently and bowed respectfully to him
gpt
Lu Meng nodded his head as he looked at the beautiful woman, he had heard that was her reasoning from Lu XUn actually, but he wanted to hear the reasoning form her herself. He nodded his head, "well you are a odd one, Lady Shan, but you are a officer, and I am not going to take that away from you. This battle will be the best chance you have a proving that you are as good as any male at leadership or fighting," he mused as he looked at her for a moment before pausing. His attention was on her fully as he looked over her a second time, he knew he couldn't make a pass at her at the moment it would be the wrong time and place to do so.
"Get some rest, we are going to head out and march all tomorrow before camping, you shall have a tent to yourself due to you being a woman and all," he mused to her as he knew that now that she was a woman, she couldn't share a tent with someone, there was just to much that could go wrong if she were to share a tent on the trip to the supply base. "Once we are there, your mission with your men will be the same, you will do as you have been told, and it shouldn't be hard, but you should be prepared just incase."
Lu Meng looked down for a moment thinking if he should add anything or tell Lu Shan anything more then what he had already told her. He decided after a few moments that he had nothing to add and nodded his head to himself mostly. "Then I shall see you tomorrow, we leave at first light, so you have plenty to do to get prepared for this trip, I suggest that you make sure you are ready and let your men have time to get prepared as well, till later Lady Shan," Meng commented before making his exit.
human
Lu Shan expected that Lu Xun or Ling Tong would have told him something about her intentions, but she felt it was necessary for him to hear it for himself. Honestly Lu Shan wasn't surprised to hear him call her odd since her plan and life had been very different then most women, but it seemed to be an acceptable idea around everyone whose found out so far. As she listened to Lu Meng she knew he was right. This first battle would be the ultimate test of her skill and everything she's worked for there wasn't a chance in hell Lu Shan was going to screw it up. "I won't let you down my Lord!" She smiled keeping her eyes on him. Her smile couldn't leave her face with the joy and excitement of how everything was coming so quickly, but deep down she knew the battle would be difficult especially since it'll be the first life she would take.
It was a relief hearing she would have a tent to herself. It wasn't that she wasn't fond of sharing a tent with another man, but inside Lu Shan was worried about getting distracted or something happening. It'll also be more comfortable and easier to deal with her womanly needs without an audience. This trip will be nothing but focus on war and the battle ahead nothing more or less. "Thank you my Lord. I'll be sure both my men and I are ready on time and prepared for the unexpected." She bowed softly before looking back up at him with a kind smile.
Once Lu Meng was gone Lu Shan turned to prepare just as Lu Meng wanted her to, but for some reason she was drawn to look at him over her shoulder. A smile crept across her face as she finally moved back to her tent to pack up all that she needed after making sure all her men were informed as well. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and what worried Lu Shan the most was her own condition. After all these days of rest Lu Shan wondered if she still had her skills with a bow. She would train today, but it wouldn't be smart to make her body sore the day she had to walk all day. Hopefully she'll have time to practice before the battle and with that wishful thinking Lu Shan went on to prepare for tomorrow.
gpt
The rest of the day past fast, really fast actually, as people came went around the camp. It was easy people were ready for battle, they were all getting ready, this camp would be the one which would supply the men for the strike against Biao's forces to the north and west of their location. It would be a long trip and it would be a challenging one most likely for all those who had never been on a mission before. They would need to ration both food and water for the trip. It would be a easy battle, but an easy battle was still a battle which was by its nature extremely dangerous to those who were in it.
The next morning, Lu Shan's men were all ready, they were as ready as could be really. None of them were used to battle other then the pirate. The rest of them were nervous as would be natural, the group was waiting having gathered up where they were assigned to. Oto was the most nervous, the book worm was not sure about how good he would be in battle, despite everything that had happened up to that point. The training would it be enough for him to get bye and live. The others were thinking such thoughts too, worried they would fail, not themselves, but their friends.
The group was waiting near the gate, other groups were lining up around them, this one having gotten ready a bit earlier then the rest, mostly due to them sharing a barracks and also due to the nervousness that was felt among the men, many who just wanted to get this over with and have their first fight. The pirate was leaned back and relaxed, he didn't look worried at all, he had a natural cool composer on his face as he relaxed against a tree and watched the officers arrive.
human
By morning Lu Shan was packed and ready to go, but a nervous feeling washed over her. This would be the first battle she would ever be apart of. What if she messed up? What if something went wrong? As she readied for the trip getting dressed in her armor a whirlwind of worries and fear consumed her. Anything could go wrong and this could be a battle where she could loose someone. Lu Shan didn't know if she could handle loosing one of her men, but she had to stay strong. She knew this would be the battle where they will take their first lives. Her men must have been nervous, but if she stayed strong for them maybe it'll encourage them to be strong as well. Lu Shan couldn't fail them, as a leader they would look towards her so she had to be strong for them and for herself.
Lu Shan walked to the gates by foot planning on walking along with her men. Even though Lu Shan arrived to the camp with her black stallion she offered to have him be one of the horses to pull the carts of water and food. Her horse was raised strong so it would be best to have him pull the carts while Lu Shan strengthened her legs and pushed herself with the walk. As she walked Lu Shan noticed the strange looks of some people who didn't know the truth about her. With her hair down it was unmistakable that she was a woman, but they wouldn't know who she was if it wasn't for her famous bow on her back. Nonetheless she didn't let their judging stares stop her as she reached the gate.
Even from a distance Lu Shan could see the nervous tension of her men. It wasn't surprising to see the pirate wasn't one of them, but honestly she understood how they felt perfectly. Lu Shan couldn't let them see she was nervous too and instead she had to lift their spirits. So before joining them, Lu Shan took a breath and straightened her back to look confident. She joined them and spoke confidently and looking at each one of them. "There's no need to be nervous men. I've seen the results of your training and I can say with full confidence that you are the best archers a officer can hope for. Being nervous will only hinder your abilities so there's no point to it. Be strong and skilled like I know you all are."
gpt
The group of men responded well, they all nodded as they were nervous but to a man they knew that they had to deal with it, and they had to trust their leader, each also could tell their leader had a great deal of trust in them as well. The fact their leader had trust in them, was something that meant a lot to the younger members like Otto, Feng and Ang. The others were also wanting to push forward and do as good for their leader as they wanted to do for themselves this day.
Ling Tong walked along the front as he motioned groups to fall in, he looked at Lu Shan a moment extra, ever sense that odd moment, he could look at her without seeing the beauty that stood before him. It felt odd, but he had never been so caught off guard by someone as Lu Shan in his life. "Well now, Lady Shan, now it is your time to fall in and move out," he commanded loudly and confidently to the group to fall in behind the group that left as they would march forward heading towards their target.
The walk itself would be a fairly long one, especially for someone who had never been in battle. Shan's force was put around groups who likewise had never been in battle, as really by chance. Lu Shan's forces where in the middle of the group. The walk would be over mostly simple planes though a small lightly dense forest past one small creek and then up a small hill before they would see their target, a small wooden fort where supplies where being kept for storage.
human
It's a relief to see the slight sappy speech Lu Shan gave was enough to convince her men to believe in themselves and her leadership. It was an honor to have all her men have faith in her and believe in her. If Lu Shan was in this alone the battle would be a lot tougher to get over, but with them by her side Lu Shan knew she couldn't let them down. She whole heartedly believed these men before her where the greatest the army had to offer as archers, maybe even as leaders themselves one day.
The call out from Ling Tong broke her thoughts for a moment making her look away from her men and at him instead. She smiled seeing how confident he was. Lu Shan could only hope to be that confident again someday. Lu Shan gave him a bright smile and shouted. "Yes sir!" With that Lu Shan did as she told and got in line for the march to begin. The walk itself wasn't too awful, but it did help Lu Shan's legs to be a bit sore. It kept her body in shape for the upcoming battle, but luckily she still had enough in her to last for battle. Once the supplies base was in their sights, Lu Shan sighed readying herself to work.
Once in the camp Lu Shan did everything she needed to do to ready for the battle. She was wanting to work hard to keep her mind off her nerves. If she was busy she wouldn't have to remind herself of the battle. At least for now Lu Shan still had some spare time to ready herself. Once Lu Shan was finished putting away the necessary supplies she found a spot to practice her aim in the remaining time. After a few arrows it was to her relief to see her skills weren't as damaged as she suspected, there was work needed, but for now it was still up to par.
gpt
The group moved though the country side, it was not till mid morning that they had gotten to the top of the hill from which they could see the target that they would be attacking. They could see that below them a good hundred plus yards away was a small wooden walls, and a number of what would appear to be boxes inside of the wooden fences. It was easy to tell that this place was a lightly defended place as they could see around 140 or so enemy soldiers moving around just out of sight of them.
The group of men moved around quickly making up a defense as they figured they were in danger as well. Ling Tong looked over at Lu Shan, "Take up position we are going to attack, have your men fire into the fort till we get up to it. Then when we are up there move to an angle where you are in range to hit single targets if possible, and keep an eye on your targets as well as the fact that things will be chaotic as well," he said looking right at Lu Shan before moving with his men ahead.
Ling Tong moved forward fast down the hill sweeping down at a solid pace. Ling Tong was trusting that the archers wouldn't hit them in the back, and Lady Shan would know what she happened to be doing. This was going to be their first taste of battle and then they would at least know they could handle themselves and would have a great deal more confidence of themselves, if they were failures then they would know about it as soon as possible. Ling Tong moved ahead though as he focused on his job of leading the attack.
human
As soon as Lu Shan heard Ling Tong's voice she lowered her bow and looked to listen to his command. Once his instructions were finished, Lu Shan bowed quickly answering "Yes, my lord!" then she went to gather her men for the beginning of the battle. The battle has barely even begun and already Lu Shan was feeling the pressure and intensity of battle. It shook her a bit inside, but she had to focus. Never let her fears and emotions hold her back when her allies needed her. Now was the time to cover Ling Tong and prove that her men where the best archers of the three kingdoms!
Just as Ling Tong instructed after gathering her men, Lu Shan led her men to take their positions on high ground to gain the advantage and aim into the fort to lower the number of men inside until it was time to move. With the other ford's gates opened for battle Lu Shan could see the men inside reading for Ling Tong's assault and didn't seem to notice her squad. With a deep breath Lu Shan shouted. "Ready!" The simple command was the single to ready their bows for the archer's to prepare and fire together as the first attack. Lu Shan raised her bow and pulled back the arrow using her sharp eyes to take aim at a man as she shouted. "Aim!". For a moment she hesitated closing her eyes and taking a deep breath then opening her eyes again full of determination. Finally Lu Shan commanded. "Fire!"
Lu Shan let go of her arrow causing it to fly from her bow and broke through the air to shoot straight into a enemy soldier's neck causing him to reach up to his throat before collapsing to the ground. Her eyes widened as she realized she had taken her first life. Watching his body fall to the ground and the blood of the man rained down from the wound while the other soldiers becoming chaotic. She gulped, but determination returned to her eyes as she grabbed another arrow commanding her men. "Keep firing until my word." With that she shot another arrow hitting another mark, but the damage was just as horrifying as the first.
gpt
The men that were around Lu Shan were at various degrees of surprise and shock, at just how violent and horrifying this combat thing happened to be. The younger ones were more taken aback by the horrible situation, but all of them continued to attack following the orders of their leader as they picked out their own targets and fired their shots killing a number of the enemy who were working struggling to gather around and put up any type of defense at all of their camp. They had been caught completely off guard and outnumbered as well. They in truth were defeated before the attack had even started.
Ling Tong led the main attack, the men were unprepared to even counter or defend, they just fell in mass, those who didn't drop to their knees and surrender in quick or were beaten down or killed by the attacking group. It was in short the easy battle that Lu Shan had been told about before it had even began. The group was to weak to defend, and they were unprepared as well. In both way, the defeat of this group might serve as a lesson for the young woman when she was out alone in the world leading in the future.
Soon after the start of the battle, the flag in the outpost changed showing to all that the battle was over and to stop firing and attacking the outpost. Those who were captured would be bound before taken back or forced to sign agreements to never raise arms against Wu again. It was a great battle, surprise and aggression were elements of the win. Ling Tong could be found giving orders to his men to make sure they had the correct number of the supplies that they had capture soon after the battle.
human
On the outside Lu Shan looked tough and eager to see that their surprise assault was a success causing mass chaos and disorganization within the base of the enemy, but on the inside Lu Shan was trembling. Even though she was shooting more and more targets with each arrow she pulled, Lu Shan couldn't shake away the memory of that first shot. The blood and the expression of sudden realization on the man's face; it killed her inside. He was the enemy, but how could she forgive herself for taking a man's life. Does killing get any easier or does it always feel this horrible?
Luckily for her once Ling Tong was inside the base, it was okay for her squad to stop firing. She lowered her bow and watched with unblinking eyes as her fellow Wu warriors took control over the base in little time. Before she knew it, the battle was over and Wu had won. While she praised with joy that victory was theirs Lu Shan was just thankful it was over. Now it was her job to aid with the supplies of the captured base. She took her time getting to the base reluctant to go inside with the dead bodies of the enemy scattering the ground. These men didn't have a chance against them. Lu Shan could see just how devastating their archery assault had caused. If their arrows didn't kill the men on the spot then they were seriously injured with Ling Tong's force finishing the job. The sight didn't help Lu Shan feel any better about what she's done.
Once she spotted Ling Tong, Lu Shan gulped and ordered her men to aid Ling Tong's men with the supplies. In the meantime she wanted to approach him, but found herself staring at him for a moment. How was he so calm about the dead bodies? It was like they weren't even there right by his feet. His men didn't seem affected by it either like she was. Did killing actually get easier? Something about it Lu Shan couldn't be okay with, it just didn't seem natural. After a few long seconds, Lu Shan swallowed her fear and approached him. "Lord Ling Tong...congratulations on the success...is there anything me and my men could do to assist you further?" She asked with her hands lightly shaking. Despite her expression and tough smile it was clear what Lu Shan was conflicted and upset about; maybe even on the verge of tears.
gpt
Ling Tong walked up to the young woman and looked at her and then nodded his head, "it was easy, but it puts us closer to ending this madness," he said calmly as if he were unaffected by all of the killing around him. Honestly, he had seen so much, it stop effecting him as much as it did when he started. He still hated it on a deep level, and hoped for peace, but he knew that he had to be ready for war if he wanted there to be a chance for peace, it was a odd situation but it was what it was and there was nothing really that the great warrior of Wu could do at that moment about it.
"You did well," he said as he looked at her pausing for a moment, "go make sure that these men are buried properly so they may find their way to their familes in the afterlife," he said to her as he looked right at her, "your men can make sure these people have proper graves, it will take a while, but we have a while, and there are not to many not to burry here," he informed her. He had a feeling killing was something that was troubling her and perhaps by putting these men to rest, that would help her with what issues she was having.
"We have enough people to take the supplies away, and there is no enemy in the area, so we will have enough time, but I still want you and your men to hop to it, get any one you find sitting around to join you, in digging, it will take 56 graves give or take one or two," he said guessing from what he had seen of the fight, many of them surrendered and were going back for questioning before being release, but a lot of people did die that day and again he figured this would help the young woman deal with this type of thing.
human
Lu Shan had to admire Ling Tong, he was so strong and admiral. She could tell by his response that he wasn't proud or satisfied of bloodshed. It's sick that some people would find killing people to be enjoyable, but it sickened Lu Shan deeply and seeing all the dead bodies nearly made her sick. Already the horrors of war were affecting Lu Shan, if it wasn't for someone like Ling Tong being there to be strong for the others she wouldn't know what to do at this moment. "It's only been one quick battle and already I just want this entire war to be over with and I know it'll get worse from here." She sighed softly looking down at the ground.
The good news was that she did her job successfully and helped out her allies the best way she could. As long as Lu Shan made her superiors proud to call her a ally that would be enough to keep her going. "Thank you sir." She replied giving him a quick, but respectable bow. The idea of burying the dead did help Lu Shan feel better. Even though they were the enemy they were still human and deserved a proper burial. It did seem like a lot of graves would be needed, but with enough men it could be done and needed to be done. "Wonderful idea. As you wish my Lord." She gave him a soft smile and bowed again before turning away to gather the men she needed, but she turned to look at Ling Tong over her shoulder for one last look before continuing with the plan.
Lu Shan gathered her men and the men who were available and found shovels they could use. Not only would digging the graves give the dead a respectable burial, but it would help strengthen her body. She worked at her best to dig each grave, but after awhile it became more difficult. Her hands grew tired and hurt from the rough shovel staff and digging up dirt. After each grave, Lu Shan was finding herself having to take more breaks with sweat pouring off her body. She must have been at this for hours since the sun was close to setting and filling the sky with beautiful colors of orange, yellow, blue, and pink. Soon she found herself sitting on the edge of the grave she was working on to admire the beauty of the sky.
gpt
Ling Tong watched the young woman work for a moment. He admired her dedication to her work, the fact that she wanted to push herself more then any other woman might. She was a unique woman in every possible way that he could think of. He smiled at that single thought as he knew that this woman was whole package. He knew that it was wise to avoid making any type of move on a woman who was under his command but with Lu Shan that wasn't something that was that easy. She was a special and very talented woman who had her charms about herself.
Ling Tong walked up with a jug of water knowing that Lu Shan had to be tired for a serious long day of marching, they had traveled from their based walked a long ways, battled and then her and others dug graves for her men. Ling Tong came to stand beside the young woman as he held the jug out for her to take from himself and looked over the fields of graves. He paused as he let her taken in the moment or say her peace before he said anything else at all.
"Now, it is a good thing war is so horrible, otherwise we might grow to fond of it," he commented as he let out a sigh. "We fight to end the war, but to end the war will mean more death, it is unavoidable, being able to deal with the fact you are going to have to break eggs to make a great omelet as it were is something you have to deal with. More so as a officer for you might have to lead or order your own men to their deaths," he commented as he looked at her for a moment, "do you think after seeing a battle that you are up to this challenge or would you rather give up this aim of yours and have a simpler life?" he asked her calmly.
human
While Lu Shan took a break in silence, she heard the sound of dry grass crunching as someone approached her. She took her eyes off the colorful sky to see Ling Tong coming towards her with a jug of water. Lu Shan must have been so focused on work she forgot to drink water while she worked which could be harmful, but watching him come closer didn't help her think of that. She couldn't have a better Lord to fight for then him. He was carefree and playful, but serious and intelligent when it be needed. Ling Tong was admirable, but seeing his handsome features being highlighted by the warm multicolored sky, it was hard to not be in awe. Though she shouldn't think thoughts about him like this...she couldn't stop herself.
Before taking the jug, Lu Shan got up from the edge of the freshly dug grave to stand next to him. She held her hands together and closed her eyes, saying prayer for the safe voyage of departed souls and asked forgiveness for their sins as well as their own. With their souls cleansed, heaven was bound to accept them at the golden gates. Then with a smile she took the jug from Ling Tong's hands. "Thank you." She said gratefully before lifting the opening to her lips to drink. As she hydrated her dry tongue and throat, Lu Shan listened to Ling Tong speak. He had an excellent point. Perhaps...war should be this awful otherwise...there would be even more. It's unfortunate that so many lives were being thrown away to begin with, but it could be much worse. Though Ling Tong's question did get to her. She knew the pressures of being a officer, but she never questioned if she'll be capable of being one. Could she stand more of this? Could she handle the guilt of losing her men from a bad call?
Lu Shan lowered the jug from her now wet lips and stared at the field of graves before them. Conflicted feelings fought in her unblinking eyes, but after a moment of silence Lu Shan lowered her eyes to the grave before her and sighed. "One battle was awful enough...and I'm already feeling the stress and pressure of being a officer...I don't know if I can handle losing even one of my men..." She paused for a moment. "...but...I can't leave after getting this far...all the trouble and pain I've been through would be for nothing if I decided to turn back now. My family relies on me and now so do my men...so...that means I have to learn to be a leader. To become more intelligent to avoid losing any of them...even if it means the end of my own life." Her eyes were no longer conflict, but filled with the familiar flames of determination. There was no way she was going to quit now. The only way she'll turn back is if she's in the ground or screaming that victory chant of the final battle.
gpt
Ling Tong was glad to see the fire in her eyes again, he was worried about Lu Shan after the battle she seemed as though she had lost her fighting spirit. He knew that she was going to have a lot of great challenges and loses ahead, but he had faith that strong young woman would find her way though the troubles. It was natural, it was the challenges that every single officer came to have to deal with over time. How they dealt with these challenges said more about their character then anything else. There were many who backed away from the challenge and broke, never to be half of what they had the potential to be. He knew many good young officers who found out that after the first taste of combat, that they were not meant for that life, and they took jobs mostly behind desks in safe areas away from the fighting.
"You will make it," he mused looking at her having confidence in his own statement about the young woman as he smiled confidently. "Well here is a piece of advice for you. I know that I am not Lu Xun or Lu Meng with their genius in tactics, but I think this advice will be able to help you none the less," he said calmly focusing on her letting her know what he was going to say was rather important. "Now, you will get more people in your unit as time goes, you do well and more responsibilities will come your way, but keep this focus. Also help your men, help them grow, for if they improve then your aim of not losing men will last a bit longer then it would otherwise. I am sure if they survive some of your men in time will get their own units themselves and will have the same pressures that you now have to deal with."
"If you are ready we need to head back, staying here to long isn't a good idea, it isn't the best place, we are going to march though tonight and we shall arrive in the morning, you have tomorrow and the day after to rest and caught up on your sleep," he commanded her his tone firm as he showed that he was in charge of the group at that moment. "Now gather up your men and follow he others, do your best to keep up, keep your men in line and we shall get back without any troubles," he commented as he left her to do what he had asked, as he went to gather up the other units so that they could march out over the fields that night, they would follow the old trails that would lead their base camp. He knew this would be a challenge for the new units but it would give them experience in dealing with a late night march which was something that would most likely do them a great deal of good in the future during a larger campaign.
human
Ling Tong's words of advice sparked hope in Lu Shan especially since she was one to accept anyone's advice if it was good. He was right, she had to focus on her men now instead of just herself. Hopefully they would become great leaders one day, she had hope in them just like her superiors have hope in her. She's seen what they could do today and there was always room for improvement. Lu Shan truly believed in her men, some even shown the potential of becoming great leaders and officers already, but Lu Xen has been training them in her absence, it's time that she proved to herself that she's just as good of a mentor as he.
After taking in the advice Ling Tong gave, she smiled warmly at him and put her hand on his shoulder with a warmth in her voice that matched her smile. "Thank you, Ling Tong...you're right. I'll act upon that advice not only to make myself a better leader, but to strengthen my men to the peak of their potential." She looked at him without breaking contact with his eyes letting him see the truth of her words through her eyes in case he didn't believe her lips. "Also...you're advice is just as helpful and enlightening as Lu Xen's or Lu Meng's. Just because you're not or ever been an official strategist doesn't mean I won't listen to you. So you really shouldn't cut yourself down because of it. Besides just knowing you have confidence in me is enough to get me through any challenge."
When she heard Ling Tong's commanding, more serious voice, Lu Shan removed her hand from his shoulder and listened to him carefully. Honestly Lu Shan was downed to hear that they had to continue marching through the night, but it made sense to since this current location wasn't a safe one to remain at. It was just her body was already sore and tired from the earlier marching and recent grave digging, but at least they'll have two days to rest afterwards so she wasn't too upset nor did she let it become noticeable through her expression or body language. She'll just have to push her limits even farther then ever then collapse once her tent was set up. Besides as far as Lu Shan knew there could be plenty of other times where this certain occurrence could come so it would be good for her and her men to experience such hardships in the long run.
With a simple and obedient "Yes, sir.", Lu Shan gave him a quick bow of respect then went to do as Ling Tong commanded. She expected her men to be exhausted at this point of the day, but as she thought before, the experience would be good for them. So she walk among the graves gathering her men with a serious stature knowing there wasn't any time for fooling around. Once she gathered them all, Lu Shan lead them back to camp and helped ready the army for the march.
gpt
The march back wasn't not as nerve wracking as the march there had been, they moved with a certain focus of course moving together taking their prize with them. They moved with discipline as well, as they were trained pros at this job, but they were not as tense as they were that morning when they marched into battle, there was a sense of happiness that they had lived to see another day and that they were able to defeat the small fort as well. Ling Tong led the group moving ahead making sure everyone was in the proper place as they traveled across the country side. He knew they needed to have some speed as it was always possible for them to be found by scouts from another enemy group in the area. If that were to happen they would be in trouble. That meant that they wouldn't be safe till they got back though the odds of an night attack were very low as well.
He had put Lu Shan and her forces in the middle of the group cause they were ranged and they could help from range against any attack against the front or the back of the group. They would be near the supplies that they had gotten mostly grain and arrows anyway. She would get to see how other units worked and would hopefully be able to see how other leaders around her led their men, in ways that were rather similar as she had led her men. It would perhaps also help to give confidence to the young woman and would enable her to feel like she was part of a large army and that despite being one person she was just as important as any other young officer.
They got back very late, Lu Shan was allowed along with most of the other men to leave as soon as they arrive only a few people moved the supplies which would mean that Ling Tong would get a even later bedtime. He was sure that Lu Shan would head to bed right away, he had told the group they had the next couple of days off before they would have to start training again and getting ready for the possible next operation. It was a success, and he thanked his men as well for their good duty before he had let them go. Inside of Lu Shan's shared home she would find that her mentor was asleep, and she would find a young dark haired woman sleeping with him. This would be the first look that Lu Shan would have of Lu Xun's wife asleep in the arms of her husband, if she looked if not she would find the pair up the next morning.
human
Unlike the march before, the march back wasn't as gruesome; at least now the tensity and fear of battle was behind them. Tensions were low and the troops seemed happy. While it was still physically awful for Lu Shan, it was emotionally wonderful. Her troop as well as everyone else's made it out with minimal causalities. That alone was a good thing, but what was even better was that Lu Shan got to see how the other officers handled their troops as well. Something told her that being placed in the middle was intentional, but it was a excellent learning experience. Lu Shan tried to follow their example by being disciplined and leading her troops as such. She got to see that she wasn't alone when it came to being so young and skilled, yet in charge with lives in return. At least now, she wasn't as frightened about being a leader as she was before.
The moon had been up for quite some time by the time they finally reached back to camp, but seeing it again brought Lu Shan relief. Even though she wanted to help with unloading the carts, it was clear that she wasn't needed and it was probably for the best since Lu Shan had already pushed herself so much today. At least now they had a few days to rest and those were days, Lu Shan will take advantage of and focus more on books and mental training then physical training. Lu Shan thanked and congratulated her men on a job well done, telling them to rest up and that they earned it before heading back to her shared home. Since it was so late, Lu Shan tried to be quiet when she entered the house. As much as she wanted to let him know that the mission was a success and let him know how it went Lu Xun was bound to be asleep at this hour, but one thing she noticed was there was someone else too.
A beautiful young woman was peacefully resting in his arms, they both looked so happy. Lu Shan knew it wasn't necessarily what everyone would do, but she took a moment to admire the smiles on their faces. That woman was lucky to find a man as amazing as Lu Xun and they looked so happy together. This must have been what sleeping with someone you loved deeply looked like. Lu Shan wondered how good it felt be to like that, to feel a man's securing arms holding her in a warm embrace. Gently she sighed before continuing to return to her room to catch some rest, but now...she was curious to see if love would be possible for her. Though, acting like a man all her life forced her to miss the lessons on how to be a proper wife, so she couldn't imagine any man would want her as a wife. She wouldn't be able to please him, but she couldn't let it bother her. At least she'll have her family and if it meant spending the rest of her life as a man to keep them safe, then so be it. As long as she got to see her sisters grow up to become wives and mothers, then that was enough to keep her going. Sure...it'll be lonely and difficult to return to that life, but...at least she got to enjoy being a woman when she could. With that, Lu Shan laid down in her bed and quickly fell asleep.
gpt
The following morning would find that things around camp were quiet and peaceful, most of the people where on break, after such a long day of work, they had a few days to spend on their own to do what they wanted. Most likely Lu Shan would also smell the wonderful cooking of the young woman who was with Lu Xun the night before. The young woman wearing a nice tradition dress was cooking up some fried rice for all three of them for their breakfast. She heard about the woman who was battling as a woman, and Sun Ye was proud of the fact that one of her fellow females would take up the challenge and fight with the men on her own level.
Her men were all asleep still, but they would most likely send a notice to her to see if she would be avalible to celebrate with them that night. Oddly one Ling Tong would of put his name on the agreement to have the celebration with her as well. They would enjoy the fruits of their victory as they would enjoy a bit of the hard earned supplies as they would find natural. This wouldn't be for sometime after her breakfast and time to perhaps get to know the strong headed Sun family member. Sun Yi was related to the Sun clan, a daughter to the late Sun Ce, and Diao Qiao. She had the looks of her mother to a great degree.
The pair would though let Lu Shan sleep in as long as she wanted, she had a hard day the day before and gotten back late, so sleeping in would be natural. The food though which smelt wonderful might be the thing that would of course wake her up, as it filled up the whole house as it was done with. When if she woke up, she walked into to kitchen, she would see Lu Xun sitting at the table and Sun Yi preparing the table for perhaps three people to eat at.
human
Throughout the night, Lu Shan hasn't moved in her bed. She slept like a rock through the remaining night with her sore body getting some rest. It was likely that she never would have woken up until much later if it wasn't for the delicious smell of fried rice making its way into her room. When she smelt the breakfast waiting for her, Lu Shan felt her body force itself awake to eat. Her eyes took forever to open with how heavy her eyelids were, but eventually she found the strength to open them. It took her a few minutes before she could lift herself to sit up on the bed. Her left arm was sore and numb from the hours she slept on it, but it wouldn't take too long for her feeling to return and the soreness to fade.
Lu Shan rubbed her eyes and looked out the window to see the morning sun was up and the camp was in peace. She could hear the birds singing outside along with the men outside doing whatever they felt like with these days off. Even though getting lots of rest would be nice, Lu Shan wanted to be up early anyway. After having their first successful victory, she figured her men wanted to celebrate and honestly, it's been too long since she's gotten to relax and have fun. Normally she would be out training, but the idea of her and a few fellow soldiers having a fun and relaxing day together sounded wonderful and her men deserved it the most. Though she didn't know if she could have as much fun with them as she could since she wasn't very good with alcohol, but Lu Shan wasn't going to let it hold her back.
Eventually, Lu Shan pulled herself out of bed and brushed her messy hair. She noticed how it's gotten a little bit longer since last time making her look more feminine, but since everyone already knew her secret it didn't seem like something to worry about. Before heading out, she made sure her casual clothes made her presentable after remembering that Lu Xun wife had finally visited. After having some breakfast, Lu Shan would have to take a nice bath though before going anywhere anyway. Once she was ready, she walked out of her room to see Lu Xun sitting and another girl setting up the table. "Good morning, my Lord and good morning miss." She smiled giving a light respectable bow.
gpt
"Hello, Lady Shan, it is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Sun Yi, I am Lu Xun's wife. He has written to me often about his new talented student, and call me impressed," she said with a warm smile as she looked at her, the natural radiance came from the young woman as she looked at Lu Shan. There was grace to her as well as she put Lu Shan's plate in front of herself, "Now, I thought think what you are doing is a inspiration to women everywhere, we can be just as good as any men," she said proudly feeling proud about the accomplishments of Lu Shan and the fact that she had managed to do everything as a woman.
"Good morning Lu Shan," Lu Xun commented as he looked at the young solider who was staying in his home. "I heard that you did a wonderful job yesterday, that you did everyone proud and you have made a heck of a impression on Ling Tong, he has asked me if he can have you serve him on a regular bases as his second in command for his unit or at least as a important officer in his unit. "I told him that it would be up to you, that you can decide such things, if you want to be attached to Ling Tong's unit from now on or not, of course this will mean more responsibilities for you, and your men as each of you would raise in rank or the ones that wish to go with you to his command," he commented to her, "he said you held yourself like a pro given that it was you first time in combat and are a model solider that others could follow,"
Lu Xun gave Shan a bit of time to taken it all in the news, the possible promotion which was impressive for a young woman. He wasn't sure if Ling Tong was just interested in Lu Shan as a solider but he knew he wouldn't make the declaration if he just wanted to sleep with her. Still he wondered if the confident young man was growing to have feelings for the woman solider. It was possible, he wanted to check in on her personally that morning, but he would let that play out however it would. He figured that those things took the path that nature had for them. He knew most arranged marriage were risky minus his which was more the exception then the rule.
human
Lu Shan imagined that Lu Xun's wife was a kind and loving woman, but the compliments and praise she showered with was simply too much. The woman was giving her too much credit for doing what she did, but still it was flattering to receive someone's admiration. Along with being kind, Sun Yi was no doubt a beautiful woman which wasn't too surprising for a man like Lu Xun to proudly have at his side. There was something about her that just chased away all of tiredness and any other bad feeling Lu Shan was experiencing. Lu Shan smiled warmly at Sun Yi with her cheeks blushing embarrassingly from all the compliments. "Thank you very much, but really you're too kind Lady Yi."
Once Lu Xun spoke up, Lu Shan returned her attention to him to see what he had to say. Though the news he had to give her truly did surprise her in a exciting way. Ling Tong wanted her to be his second in command!? She's barely handled herself on her own, but working with a man like Ling Tong might be exactly what she needed to learn to be a better leader and a warrior. To Lu Shan this seemed like nothing more then a opportunity to better herself unlike Lu Xun who expected other intentions in store. Along with working so closely to him, her men had the opportunity to become officers themselves. If anyone deserved to raise up it was her men after the strength they demonstrated from the battle. They truly did deserve to become something more, but she'll leave the choice up to them since they all had what it took to be an officer.
"This is wonderful news! Yesterday was difficult, but I didn't think that Ling Tong would be so impressed by us. Actually it was because of him that I realized how difficult it was to combine leadership and being a warrior. Being his second in command could help me even further and my men deserve to become officers. They were strong, if not, stronger then me." She smiled at him with excitement in her eyes. After hearing this she definitely felt like celebrating with her men and give the news to her men. Besides she wanted to give Ling Tong her answer unless Lu Xun made some sort of argument against it. Out of everyone, Lu Shan listened to Lu Xun the most and if he thought something badly of this then she'll take it into consideration, but otherwise, she couldn't wait to say yes.
gpt
Lu Xun nodded his head as he knew that it was big news, but he wasn't surprised that she would take the news to her men and get her input, she cared about her men and their opinion mattered, btu he was sure when they decided they would stick by the choice no mater what. He like that about her, she was a interesting woman, he wondered if Ling Tong had taken a interest in her that was more the professional. He knew his friend was a confident type and that he would do his best at all time working for the good of the kingdom. but that didn't mean that this woman hadn't caught his eye and drawn his interest. He knew that she was a beautiful woman, not as beautiful as his love in his opinion, but he was sure she would find him attractive.
"Well, your welcome, you have some us women that we can be as good as any man. My aunt and my mothers are kind of like you, they went with there husbands to the battlefield sometimes, but even they didn't fight like you, not even Lady Xiang Shang fought with Liu Bei like you fight for this army," he said comparing her to the bow princess herself and smiling. "Well, anyhow, the fact your doing this for your family is pretty neat too, Lu Xun told me about it in his letters and Lord Quan things your story is rather interesting too, he is most impressesd," she added referencing the leader of Wu, and how even he knew about her situation.
"Yi, leave the girl alone, she had enough on her plate," Xun said calmly taking Yi's hand to tell her that she didn't need to say more. He then looked at Lu Shan, "Well Lady Shan, I think you have a busy day, your men all share the same housing, so finding them should be really easy for you at least," he said kindly as he looked at her. "Tell them to do what seems right to them, this promotion will come with a lot more pay, but also responsibility as well as work and training," he said to her calmly as he knew she would understand it, but reminding her cause she would have to tell her men about this fact.
human
Lu Shan didn't expect to have such a influence on other people, especially women, because of her disguise, but the more Sun Yi complimented and praised her, the more she learned about the impact she made on other people. She always believed women were equal to men despite the biological and mental differences, but it was surprising to see that women really weren't trained to be as powerful as men. Because of her training, Lu Shan proved women could be just as good as a man, but she honestly thought it was too much to compare her to the great Lady Xiang Shang, especially since it's only been one battle so far. Though, to her great surprise, even Lord Quan, leader of Wu, knew of her existence and story! Lu Shan only decided to go on to war because of her family, but instead started to see amazing results she didn't expect to happen. The shock of the news was enough to send Lu Shan chuckling softly in disbelief, but it was clear Sun Yi was overwhelming her with so much praise and humbling admiration.
Luckily, Lu Shan didn't have to say anything more since Lu Xun could easily tell how overwhelmed she was becoming. Now, she and Lu Xun could discuss the important news for a moment while Lu Shan could calm down. Lu Xun was right, he always seemed right. Lu Shan didn't know how her men where going to react to the news, but she wanted them to chose their path. It would be sad to see any of them leave her command, but if they could become something greater then they were now then she wanted them to have it. If they felt ready to leave then they should have the right to do so, but if they wanted to stay with her then she would happily accept them; the choice was their's alone. "I understand...I want them to choose their own path. These men deserve to be something great, but if they don't feel ready then I'll be more then happy to keep them under my command, but I'll let them choose. I'll let them understand the consequences and benefits to their choices...to help them understand their responsibilities, just like you have done for me Lord Xun." She smiled warmly at Lu Xun then at his beautiful wife to show the appreciation she had towards her.
"I should be going soon, after all I have the news to tell them and I'm sure they'll want to celebrate our first victory as well. Hopefully, I'll get to find Ling Tong soon too to let him know my decision. So, thank you Lady Yi for the delicious breakfast and boost in my confidence and to you, Lord Xun...for being the greatest mentor a solider could ask for." Lu Shan smiled and bowed softly to them after finishing up her breakfast. Then she got up from the table and cleaned up her mess, but before heading out, Lu Shan decided to take a warm bath to relax her muscles and clean off her body. After that, Lu Shan dressed herself in a clean pair of casual clothing and head out to the camp. As she made her way to her men's housing, Lu Shan smiled warmly seeing soldiers either resting and relaxing or training hard. The sun, the sky, everything that's happened so far...was enough to put a smile on her face and feel this whole experience was worth having.
gpt
Her men were lazing around most of them were resting tired from the day before some work cooking, some where even still training as well, they were all doing their own day this day none of them worried about getting on a mission. Oto and Koto were out training their archery skills and were the first ones to notice Lu Shan as she came up to their unit's bunk house, the two saluted their boss as she walked by neither one had any clue why she would be heading towards their housing, but it was always good to see her, they all liked their leader and trusted her a great deal and were all very loyal to their commander. That included Yan, the defacto second in command of the unit and when Shan wasn't around the one who put the orders and commands into place for her. He was sitting with is feet up the redhead was wedeling a piece of wood down to make something with it when he saw Liu Shan and got to his feet much right away, this was pretty much what happened when the others realized that she was there.
The men looked at her ready for her orders, "Lady Shan, what is it, do we have training today, do we have a mission to undertake?" Yan asked respectfully as she stood before the young woman. He wasn't sure what was up, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if their free time had just been taken away and they were going to be marched into some other battle fast. It was something that could happen and the pirate actually knew this well from his meetings with other who had joined his crew back in the day who had been part of various armies on the various sides. "We are ready as we can be if we need to march, it will take us a half our or so to pack up our things and be ready to march, so if you could stall them I am sure we could even make it seem that we were ready for this all along which will make us not look so bad and you look good too," he commented figuring they were about to head off to another battle.
human
It wasn't surprising to see that most of her men were lazing around since it was a day most people would take advantage of to relax; though it was nice to see that some were working hard at training. When she walked by the first two men to see her, Lu Shan spotted that they saluted her. Flattering as it was, it brought joy to her to see that her men had respect for her. As she walked, it warmed her heart to see how they grew up and became stronger in such a short time. Each of them took their training seriously and had amazing skills that began to show. In the beginning it didn't seem like they would get very far, including that most of them couldn't even use a bow and arrow before, but just like Lu Shan did, they proved themselves to be something much more then what the eye can see. They were strong, loyal, and intelligent men; especially Yan who has proven himself to be quite the leader himself. All of them she could proudly say were her men.
Once again, she wasn't surprised by her men's alertness when they saw her arrive. It wasn't too common that their superior officer visited them too much unless it was something important. The news she had to give was very important, but they all seemed to be expecting her to push them to train or gather them for battle. Seeing Yan use his intelligence to comment about a possible upcoming battle was exactly why she was so impressed with him. He knew exactly how much time it would take and what measures would be needed that very moment. Yan had the makings of a great strategist if he so desired to be one. Softly she chuckled warmly and smiled at Yan. "At ease Yan, there isn't a march or battle expected for a few days, but I do have some wonderful news to share with everyone."
After Lu Shan gathered the attention of all her men, she took a breath and began to speak with a confident tone. "This morning I received some news from Lord Xun. It seems that the effort and performance we displayed yesterday impressed a lot of people. With that, I found out that Lord Tong offered to make me his second in command." She paused for a moment to let the information sink in for a moment before continuing. "I've decided to accept his offer, but there's something else as well...because of change of position, there's a opportunity for the rest of you as well. You all have an option...you can choose to stay with me under my command or...you can become officers yourself, but if you choose to be a officer you're training will become even more intense and strict. Also you must have the leadership and accept the consequences of the lives that will be under your command. You all have the makings of great officers, but I want you to decide what path you want to take. You deserve to become something greater if you feel ready for it..."
gpt
The group of them looked at each other as they heard the news, and gathered round and whispered for a moment as they talked about the possibilities and then it was fastly decided as they told Yan what to tell Lu Shan, before he stood before her again. "Well, this is a super easy choice, every one of your men have decided upon the same thing and were of one mind in what we are thinking right now," he said looking at her calmly as he paused just for a bit of theater, he was a former pirate after all and knew how that type of thing could play out and he knew that Lu Shan was wanting an answer which would come in a moment or two after he made that statement.
"We are not going to leave you, Lady Shan, we know you decently well and we trust you, if we work for you, we know you care about us and you want us to do well. That might not be the case otherwise," he said looking at her with a smile, "We also know that you will need our help to show them that your not some fluke and that you are as amazing as a second in command as a lowly officer," he commented as he looked at her, "plus if we aren't around who is going to tell your new men all the things they have to know about training with you like to be careful not to hit the commander on mistake or to cut her some slack for various thing, and so on," he said with a smile the last part just mostly messing with her more then anything else.
"To be honest, from my time in battle which I have seen a lot of it over the years, the most amazing thing one can do is serve someone who cares, fight for each other and be able to depend on the person on either side of them. We all know that we can do that, and we are sure you are a rising star, we just are attaching our future to you," he said pausing as the men cheered her and said various small statements that were in agreement, her men wouldn't want to leave her. They knew they could handle being officers but why leave someone who they knew so well and who they believed still need them as much as the army as a whole. They felt they could be better as a group then alone basically.
human
She waited patiently for their answer, but she suspected they would choose to become officers. Why wouldn't they want to be something bigger and better paying then the ranks they already were? It would be sad to see them go, but she just wanted what was best for them. They deserve to be praised and respected by everyone and she wanted nothing, but the best for them. Though the answer that she was given was a surprising one. Even with the promise of a higher rank they still chose to be with her. Lu Shan couldn't be more happy with their decision, but she couldn't help wanting them to rank up despite this, it was their decision and she'll respect it as such.
For a moment she looked at them surprised with the answer Yan dramatically gave, even the silence between them reflected the question and surprise she faced them with, but the rest of what Yan had to say warmed her heart. Softly, her face turned warm and she smiled brightly at his words, even chuckling softly when he messed with her. Lu Shan found herself struggling to stay professional and keeping her eyes dry. They weren't just doing this for themselves, but for her too. Truth be told...they were right. Lu Shan needed them much more then they needed her. These men...they weren't just soldiers under her command...they were her friends and they were fighting not only for their country, but for each other. Her heart was so warmed by his words and filled with joy that she nearly had a tear escape her eyes. These men...were the best that any officer could ever have; their futures were tied together.
She smiled at them warmly, "As much as I want you all to raise your ranks, I've realized that I need you all. Your presence by my side was what made me determined to be strong and lead you all to see another day..." She paused for a moment to take a breath. "You're all strong and loyal...and I need you all to be the best I could be and I'll work even harder to make you all as strong, if not, even stronger then I...you all are the best men a officer could ask for..." Lu Shan couldn't stop smiling, feeling her heart full of warmth. She really didn't want them to leave and they didn't want to either, they needed each other to be the perfect team. After taking a breath to calm herself down, Lu Shan added, "And I believe a celebration is in order for our first successful battle. You men deserve it, but I should report to Lord Tong before I take part. Just focus on having a good time the rest of the day and that's an order." She smiled brightly at them.
gpt
The men gathered around her were so very happy to be able to know that their leader, their commander was as happy with them as they were with her. It was a great relationship that they had, and they knew that she was right, that they needed a celebration a proper one at that. Of course they knew that Lu Shand would have to go and talk to her new boss, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't have the party, they still could after all. "Well now, Lady Shan, there is a easy answer to this," the former farmer Oto commented as he looked at Shan. "You go have your meeting with your new boss, it won't take all day, then when your done we will have gathered up all we need for a small party, I hope you don't mind that your going to be the only female at said party, but we can have it for sure, it will be a celebration of our small victory to other minor but to us something awesome."
"Yeah, well you know that you can bring Ling Tong if he wishes to come with you, I figure he led the battle so he would fit in without it being odd, and if he is your new boss and your our boss then he is our boss too" Ma commented as he thought about it for a moment and then smiled. "Well get going, I am sure that Lord Tong wont' wait for you forever and I am sure he most likely is nervous thinking you will or won't take the promotion."
Ling Tong was going over maps and thinking. He hoped that Lu Shan would agree, but he would have to wait for her to come and tell him one way or another. He smiled as he thought about it and had a feeling that she wouldn't. She seemed the type who wouldn't want this for it would be something that would split up her group. He didn't know they would be so behind their leader they would follow her to her new role. He hoped they would, if they would that would be a great sign in and of it self that she was a great leader and would be worth putting a lot of time and effort in making better. He of course wanted her to join for more personal reasons, but those were lesser reasons honestly ones that were minor in the view of him, as he knew he had to put the needs of the army ahead of his own still.
human
"I don't mind it at all, to be honest I've gotten use to being around so little women so it's not a problem being the only girl, but you're right. I bet he'll love to come besides he deserves a break too. I'll be back as soon as I can!" She smiled brightly at them before turning to find Ling Tong. To be honest, the sound of a celebration sounded more fun the more she thought about it. After all, the stress and work that this war has brought on everyone has been taking it's toll on everyone. It would be nice to have a small celebration with some close friends. She hoped Ling Tong would want to come since he works so hard, besides it would be good for them all to get closer to their new boss. He seemed like the type who would come to celebrations, but she couldn't be sure if it was something he liked to take part in or not, still it would be great if he would.
It took Lu Shan a moment to find Ling Tong, but when she did, she tried not to disturb him. The way he was studying the maps made her think he would be too busy to join them, but she still had to let him know her answer. Besides the main reason she wanted to see him was to give him an answer while the celebration was more of a minor thing. Still, she wanted him to come. She took a moment before approaching him, hoping she wouldn't be bothering him. Ling Tong really was handsome, seeing his eyes focused on the map had some sort of attraction. Lu Shan shook her head knowing now wasn't the time to day dream. So, she took a breath and walked towards him. "Lord Tong? Lord Xu informed me of your offer..." She paused for a moment to see if she caught his attention or not.
Once she did gain his attention, Lu Shan continued, "I wanted to give you an answer...I agree." She smiled at him. "I've already talked to my men about it and they decided to stay under my command despite the opportunity to rank up. When I heard of this, I knew it would be best to accept your offer. You're a man we could all learn from and I'm truly honored to have you offer such a position to me." She explained wanting him to know all that has already happened and why she chose to agree despite the risk of loosing her men. Lu Shan remained quiet, but kept a smile on her face, waiting to hear the response he had towards her answer.
gpt
Ling Tong looked over as he saw Lu Shan approach and smiled welcoming her in with a smile on his part. "Well now what can I do for you," he asked as he looked over figuring that she was there to give him the answer, but not wanting to force her to give him the answer right away if she didn't want to. Sometimes people had ways of talking around the answer, like Lords Ming and Xun giving you the answer in a non-direct way. He figured with Shan this was possible due to the fact she had been living with Lord Lu Xun for so long that some of his thoughts and ways had rubbed off on her. So when he heard the direct answer he smiled glad to hear that there was a direct answer and not something he would have to somehow decode. The later in his opinion mostly a pain in the ass.
"Alright, I will accept this answer, you will start in a couple of days, and your training will increase as you will have to learn how to defend yourself in martial combat more then just with a bow," he explained as he knew that it was possible that in larger battles she would have to use a sword or spear, and she would need to find a weapon that would fit her best and style of fighting that would fit her best as well. He had no clue what would fit her well, but he figured she would figure out in time. "We are having a convoy coming in today there is a chance for you to write mail to your family if you want to send the letter with them, so to get to your family," he commented as he looked at her, pausing for a second.
"Your men will be your own units leadership I am guessing your going to have to learn how to delegate task as well now, as you are going to be commanding many more then nine men, you will be in charge of something like 50 to in some cases up to 100 men of your own now, and these men will fall into units under your nine men that your are bringing with you. So having a trusting relationship with those right under your command is very important," he told her as he gave her some advice, "Now most likely this next fight from what I have heard won't be as easy as the last one and your going to be far more prepared, but I know you can do it. I expect great things from you Lady Shan, and I will be there to help you as well."
human
Lu Shan smiled hearing he accepted her answer, but it wasn't too much of a surprise to hear her training would increase. Martial combat did sound like something she would need to know especially if something happened to her bow in the middle of battle. It would be best to get as much fighting experience as possible; hopefully to fit any situation she would get into and honestly she felt a bit excited to do something more besides shoot arrows. The problem was finding what style of martial arts and weaponry would fit her most. Ling Tong probably already had something in mind, so she'll leave it to him to handle that part unless he directly asks her otherwise. At least she'll have a couple of days to prepare herself for this before her intense training will begin.
When she learned that a convoy was coming today, Lu Shan knew it would be best to write to her family. She hasn't done it in awhile and she wanted to make sure that her family was doing well. As far as she knew, they were worrying about her so it would be best to let them know that everything's fine. Besides, she really did miss her mother, father, and sisters; hopefully they were all okay. Lu Shan wondered if they would be proud to hear how well she was doing. There was so much to tell them too: the first battle, her men, Lu Xun and his wife, and especially Ling Tong. There was no telling how long she'll be away from them, it could be years as far as she knew, so Lu Shan wanted to stay in touch with them as much as possible.
As Ling Tong started to speak again, Lu Shan immediately pushed aside her thoughts and paid attention to him again. To her surprise, there was going to be even more men under her command, more then twice then what she already commands. It will become a even more challenging to handle this many men, but it should be expected of her in her new position. This step up was going to be her most difficult experience yet, but Lu Shan wasn't going to back down. The next battle wasn't expected to be as easy, especially with all the men she'll have to learn to lead, but she couldn't get cold feet now. Not after telling Ling Tong that she wouldn't and agreed to this position. Ling Tong's words of encouragement did lift up her spirits, even causing her to smile softly. She couldn't let him down...she wouldn't. "Thank you sir. I understand and accept my new responsibilities, I look forward to learning from you." She smiled warmly then added, "If you don't mind me asking...the men and I were planning on having a small celebration for our success so far...we were wondering if you'd like to join us...after all you deserve to relax too."
gpt
Ling Tong knew that this woman would be able to handle the more responsibilities that were being put on her plate. He was sure of it. she was a most amazing and interesting woman. He smiled as he looked at her and then motioned her over to him. he took out a very large box and put it on the table before her, "this is a gift that I have for you, this is very important, and I hope that you understand just how big of deal this is to get, it is something you will have to get used to but it is a mark of your new rank as well," he informed he calmly as he took the top off of the box so that Lu Shan would be able to see what she was getting from himself. He knew she would be surprised by the gift, but it was custom as much as anything.
There were a number of things in the large box, first there was the armor for her to wear, it was beautiful and shiny with markings that had been craved onto the armor by the best of craftsmen, under it was the finest of silk robes, red in the color of Wu, with gold trim as well, and a uniform that was also silk and red that was more simple that was meant to go under the armor. Then next to both things was a ornate long iron bo staff, he was pretty much recommending her new weapon with this, he had talks with Lu Xun a long time before this moment and this was agreed upon between them and Sun Yi had brought it from the capital when she came to visit and her husband.
"Now, I will join you are the get together, tell them it should be a lot of fun," he said as he smiled confidently, "got to know my new soilders if they are going to be the underlings of my second in command and right hand girl as it were," he explained as he knew most likely she was still taking in the fact she had just been given so much. She would need it and she would be able to put it all to good use, he was most sure of that fact. "It has all been already fitted to you, when you got your things, we found ways to find your size and such, so it should fit you like well."
human
The moment Lu Shan saw the mysteriously large box, she immediately gave Ling Tong the look of curiosity and confusion. A gift for her? That's really nice of him, but he didn't have to do such a thing. It seemed pretty important that she accept the gift seeing how he mentioned it as a mark of her new rank. When she looked inside, her breath was taken away. The beautiful armor inside was far better then her father's old, worn-out, and unmarked armor. The designs, craftsmanship, and colors was like the armor that every official and respected Wu officer, but like theirs, hers was specially designed for her. Along with the amazing armor, Lu Shan spotted a special staff, beautifully decorated, and with iron on the ends. This must of been the next weapon she would learn to wield, must like the famous Lord Zhou Yu. "Th-Thank you so much Lord Tong. They're perfect, there's not enough words to express my gratitude." She smiled warmly then reached in the box to feel the silk fabric of the clothing that went underneath her armor. Then she felt the powerful staff, her hand gently running up the length of it. "I'll change into it as soon as possible." She smiled at him excitedly.
Once she heard that Ling Tong agreed to attention their get together, Lu Shan smiled more excitedly, eager to hear he was wanting to come for the right reasons. She was happy to see he wanted to come and learn more about them, after all it was better that they become close since they were going to be working together so closely. It's was a bit exciting to get closer to him and hopefully become a even better team with even more trust between them all. "That's wonderful! The others will be so happy to hear you're coming. Thank you for everything, my Lord." She smiled and bowed gently. "Now if that's all, I'd like to change into my new armor and write to my family. Have a wonderful day sir." She smiled then turned to leave.
For a few minutes, Lu Shan returned to her room in Lu Xun's home. Immediately, she began to write a letter to her family telling them all about her success and progression. She asked about how each were them were doing and how the home was going without her there. Lu Shan truly was worried about them and hoped they were doing well, especially with the payments she's been sending them. Once she was done, Lu Shan readied the letter to be sent then got up to put on her new armor. Luckily, it wasn't too complicated to get on. Shockingly it was wonderfully comfortable because of the silky under clothes, but still heavy where the armor protected her body. It fit perfectly to her body as well and looked pretty beautiful on her. In the end, Lu Shan pulled up her hair in a ponytail that laid down against her back, but pulled the end over her shoulder. With a satisfied sigh, Lu Shan left the home to met up with her men and Lord Tong.
gpt
Ling Tong smiled as he watched the young woman walk out of the room. He looked at a list of people who were coming into join the units in the camp, his own, Lu Xun, and Lu Meng, he knew that most likely based on the information they would have a good couple of weeks as they gained more and more troups and then then would be headed for something big, they were preparing for a big movement. It would explain why the number of troops were coming into the area. He figured they would hear about what other units from what other camps they would be joining with and where they would be attacking. He knew that this would take more time then he wanted, but he still had a few days before those orders came and till then he could spend his time working on getting his new officers set up.
Ling Tong, leaned back as he thought about Lu Shan, and smiled, she was something beautiful, brave and so unique. Something about the woman made him want to protect her from danger. Something also made him want to bring her back to his tent and ravish her as well. He worried about her when he found out that she was a woman, but she proved so far she could keep up. He knew the new armor would help a lot as it would allow her to move easier as it was made for her unlike her other armor. He wondered if his father would approve of this woman if he presented her to him before he passed, and knew that Ling Cao, his father would in fact approve of her. He was confident if he had a chance he would make his intention towards her known at some point.
Ling Tong to the party early and started to talk with her men getting to know them, they were a odd bunch the pirate was different from Gan Ning at least, which surprised him. He had a plan for the unit of them, they would make great officers each of them, even he could see that. He helped put up the declarations as he waited for Lu Shan to come in and join the party as he talked about things and spread the news they had leave to go into the town the following day, he figured it would give Lu Shan a chance to get to know her men better if she went as well and give her a true chance to relax too.
human
On her way to the party, Lu Shan dropped off her letter to her family, hoping it would get to them soon. Her little sisters were growing up into young women, as far as she knew they already had suitors lined up for them. It's a shame she couldn't watch them grow up anymore, but at least they'll be safe and be able to eat with a roof over their head. She prayed her father would be okay too, after all he was reaching a difficult age. One of the things she feared about leaving them was something happening to their father and with her missing, Lu Shan didn't know what would happen. She couldn't leave the army like this suddenly, she didn't want her sisters to marry a man they don't love either. They were too young to be forced into marriage, if anything, Lu Shan would marry to have her husband take head of the household, but if her sisters could marry for love then it was worth her own happiness; hopefully those things wouldn't come for years to come. Even if she had to marry...she hoped she could find a man like Lord Ling Tong or Lord Lu Meng.
Both men were admirable in Lu Shan's eyes, but she believed that they wouldn't be romantically interested in her. Ling Tong was confident and brave; he seemed like the type of man who would protect anyone he cared about deeply with his life. Lu Meng was intelligent and a natural leader; he practically took care of Ling Tong when he was younger and kept him from getting into fights with his rival Gan Ning. Still, Lu Shan didn't expect them to be attracted to a girl like her. Most men would want a housewife that would bare sons and daughters for them, but Lu Shan didn't know if she could make a wonderful wife. She never learned how to cook very much or clean very well, since her time went to learning how to act like a man. Her sisters on the other hand, got the teachings and training to be perfect wives. In a way, it was upsetting that she never got to be a girl until now, but at least now, she had men who respected her and with the help of her superiors, became stronger. As long as her family was safe and secure, then she was happy.
Now wasn't the time to think about such upsetting things, now was the time to relax and bond with the men she would be working beside for awhile. She wanted Lu Xun to join them, but she figured he would want to spend some time with his lovely wife. It would be nice if Lu Meng wanted to join as well, but she figured that he, out of all people who needed to relax, would be far too busy anyway. Still, at least Ling Tong would be there with them. When she returned to the men, she smiled seeing Ling Tong and her men working together already to prepare for the celebration. They seemed to be getting along well already and bonding nicely too, which was a fantastic sight. She approached them smiling and asking, "I'm back, is there anything I could help with?"
gpt
Lu Meng was looking over his paperwork as he noticed one that was an announcement of the advancement of rank of Lu Shan, the dark eyes of the commander scanned it and he rose an eyebrow at the news. Ling Tong had let this one slip though somehow, but it was his choice that he was able to get her as his second in command. He almost kicked himself as he thought about doing something similar after he had read the information and the report about how she had done during her first battle. It was a strong and good report by her men and by Ling Tong. The woman was very talented and would have a bright future, sadly it would seem as though that future would come in Ling Tong's unit but he was sure that he would get to work with the female officer again, that he was very much sure of. Perhaps he could find a way to get her to join with him to work on training somehow. He would put something together.
Ling Tong and the others looked over at the young woman who had gotten Ling Tong to show up as well was the connecting factor between himself and the men who were also in the room. Ling Tong looked over at her and shook his head, "no, nothing at all, but I did forget to tell you tomorrow you have a pass to go into the town," he commented to her as he looked at her and then smile as he looked at her. "We will have everything in here ready in a short period of time," he commented as he looked around to see that almost everything was ready. He went over and helped pull up the last banner and then set in place, "Well, it is good to be able to enjoy company of people right," he said looking back over at Ling Tong after he put the last thing up.
Yan and Oto walked over and smiled as the pair of them offered Lu Shan a plate, "Lady Shan, I am sure that you want some good food," Oto commented as he looked at her as he was able to handle to her the food, the plate was made of amazing food that Oto himself had made, he had been a cook when he was younger and was rather good at it. "I hope you enjoy the dish Lady Shan," he said with ever his most respectful tone as he gave her a smile before slipping away. Yan, looked at the pair, "Also, remember that there is pleny of stuff to drink, but I couldn't bring that to you here, cause well don't have a cup yet," he said with a smile before he left the area in fornt of Lu Shan. Ling Tong looked at them and blinked, "you do have a lot of characters who work for you don't you?"
human
While Lu Shan was a bit disappointed that they didn't have anything for her to do, her spirits were lifted up hearing that tomorrow she had a pass to go into town. It's been so long since she's been outside of the Wu camp, other then to go to battle, that the idea of finally going somewhere. She remembered having to go into town with her sisters to shop, they would get so excited to go with her. Normally Lu Shan would buy them warm buns or some other sweets while they shopped for food, but since they weren't here with her, then perhaps she'll buy one for herself for old times sake. Besides it'll be nice to remember what it's like to see what a normal life was like through the people in the town. Seeing children and dogs playing, lovers and families together...all those things that made this whole fight worth all the sacrifice and hardships. "Great! It'll be nice to take a trip into town after all this time." Lu Shan smiled happily up at Ling Tong.
It was nice learning that it wouldn't be long before everything was ready for their little gathering. Lu Shan decided to sit back and watch everyone work since there was nothing she could do, besides as long as everyone was here then she was happy. When Yan and Oto came to her with a plate of delicious looking food, Lu Shan smiled at them warmly, "It looks delicious! I can't wait to try it, especially if you men made them." Looking at the plate, the treats on it truly did look delicious, her stomach even rumbled a bit from the sight of them. Delicious food, plenty of drinks, decorations, and surrounded by friends...this looked like it was going to be a amazing party and one that Lu Shan hoped would take everyone off edge for awhile.
Hearing Ling Tong, Lu Shan looked over at him and even found herself chuckling a little bit, "Yeah, all of them are a colorful bunch, but that's what makes them so great. Different background, different personalities, different views...it makes each one of them unique and special, but looking at the entire army, there are a lot of colorful people. And you're no different, Ling Tong." She teased playfully, playfully bumping shoulders with him as she watched her men ready for the party. Just as expected, the party was ready to go very soon and luckily it didn't take long for everyone to start enjoying themselves. The food was absolutely delicious and worth the wait, Lu Shan even found out that Oto made it himself and praised him for it. While their were different types of sake available, Lu Shan decided to take it easy and drink the more weaker ones to keep herself from getting drunk too quickly. She found herself laughing and enjoying each second of the party, especially hearing Ling Tong's stories of his youth when he was more lazy and carefree. Lu Shan couldn't be more happy to see everyone around her having fun and enjoying themselves and relaxing from the high tensions of war.
gpt
The meal was amazing, the food was amazing, Ling Tong telling stories about his adventures with his friends and when he was a underling under his father back when he was still alive too. He had such good times, they were adventures that would live on in his memory, just like his father would live on in his heart forever. He never in his own judgement would be as good as his father Ling Cao, but he would do his father honor by carrying on his legacy as a warrior of Wu. He also told stories about when he was working with Ning and their battles before he got his own unit which wasn't that long before he had meet with Lu Shan, it was one reason why it was so easy to be able to make her his second in command so easily.
Yan told stories, too, he had a common link as he worked with Gan Ning as well, having both been pirates they worked together when they attacked and raided various places to make money before Ning went legit long before Yan had decided to go legit himself. He knew that he was a good man and had loved the adventures he had with Ning. He spent time with other former pirates who would join Wu as officers some of which he actually was in charge of as a pirate which made him smile telling stories of how he attacked a wagon carrying rice as they got bad info about how they thought that it was gold that the ship was carrying or the time they attacked expecting a group of soldiers to stop midway to find out that it was a group of beautiful maidens who they escorted to their destination after they found out.
The group shared stories and had fun though out the night. It was great, Ling Tong took Lu Shan's hand, "come on, I will walk you home," he said late that night. Truth was he wanted to be near her, but this gave him a reason to be near her and that was good. He walked along the path with her enjoying the night air as he smiled looking at the beautiful woman. "I think the next battle will be a big one, which means a bad one, you will lose people this time, I am sorry to tell you this, but you might need to get prepared for it as best as you can, it will be a fight against Cao Cao and his forces," he explained as he stopped in front of Lu Xun's and her place now, "I just wanted to give you these days so you would have memories of your men at their best if anything should happen to them."
human
The entire party couldn't have gone more perfectly, the stories and laughs, the entire group bonding together...it was a night Lu Shan wouldn't forget. She learned so much about Ling Tong and her men through their stories, but she had to admit, it was pretty nice learning about their pasts through their stories. For hours and hours into the night, Lu Shan almost forgot that they had a battle coming up. Tonight, Lu Shan got to see something special, everyone laughing and enjoying themselves after months and months of pain and hardships. She never wanted this night to end, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
With her guard lowered, the moment she felt a hand touch hers, her cheeks turned a bright red. Lu Shan looked to see that it was Ling Tong that was touching her which only made her cheeks blush brighter. Seeing he wanted to take her home, Lu Shan couldn't find herself to say no. "Oh, s-sure." She replied holding onto his hand for a moment before getting up to walk with him. The night air was soothing against her skin and the moonlight was shining so brightly. She looked over to him and smiled warmly enjoying the walk she was having with him, but when he brought up the upcoming battle, Lu Shan was reminded of what nightmares were to come. Softly she sighed and looked down at the ground knowing that she really should be preparing herself for it. Cao Cao's forces were a force to be reckoned with...she knew it was only a matter of time before she would lose someone or herself.
Once they were in front of Lu Xun's and her home, Lu Shan stopped and turned to face him so her eyes could look into his as he spoke. Her smile returned hearing his sweet words. Ling Tong really was a kind man, even though the worst has yet to come, he wanted her to enjoy the last few days of peace they might have. Softly, Lu Shan's hand touched his as she spoke, "I know what's to come, but...thank you...you really are making these days the best of my life. Even if horrible things are coming our way...I'm just happy we got to have some fun together and enjoyed ourselves." She smiled warmly looking up at him with warm eyes, but her heart was starting to race. The soft moonlight lighting up his handsome features and seeing how her hand just couldn't let go of his, made her cheeks blush and found herself unable to look at him directly. Lu Shan wanted to run, but her body was frozen. She just couldn't move or speak anymore, but...why?
gpt
He knew that war wasn't going to last forever that war would end or have at least breaks to it, but he knew also that in this war, he too could die, he could pass away killed in any battle. The death of his father had proven this fact to him so well. He looked at Lu Shan her beauty was absolute in his mind. He knew that he could lose her or be killed himself. His words also applied to him as he looked at her. He smiled as he knew that he had to remember then in his dealings with her as well as his dealings with other people who worked under him. "Now, tomorrow, you have fun, but tomorrow night, we are going to a dinner date you and myself," he said as he showed the normal confidence as he looked at her, "A real date to relax and have fun," he said as he looked into the eyes of the woman warrior.
He pressed his lips against those of Lu Shan for a moment pressing close to her for a moment letting the moment wash over him as he enjoyed it completely. He smiled as he broke the kiss with the woman and smiled, "Well, now, you do need your sleep, and I do too, to sleep off all I drank tonight," he said as he looked at her, "but Lu Shan, I do very much like you, and hope that you enjoy this date with me tomorrow, before that though have fun with your men find what ways you can help them find their fun day too," he said with a smile as he looked at her and then caressed her cheek, "heck what am I worried about, you will do find, your men are very impressive, they are just like their boss impressive."
Ling Tong pulled away waving to her as he walked off with a smile heading to bed. He didn't look back as he showed his confidence in another way, he was very self assured and believe in himself, but that was because he believe in his friends and those who supported him. He headed to his home finding his way quickly to bed. He knew that Lu Shan would have things to do the next day in town with her friends and himself and a few others. He figured she would get to spend more time during the day with he men as she wanted and then later that day she would be on that magical date with him. He was going to do everything possible to make it magical as well knowing that it was going to be big and important for her, and himself too.
human
Immediately, as Lu Shan heard Ling Tong's confident declaration that they would be going on a date, she looked directly at him surprised, yet he was his usual confident and cool self. She honestly didn't know what to say about it, especially since he talked about it like it was already decided and he was so sudden about it that Lu Shan found herself frozen in shock, "D-date?!" The idea of going on a date with a warrior as cool as him wasn't...a bad one, but shocking that someone like him was interested in her. He such a handsome and talented, he was completely out of her league. No, this had to be a joke to pick on her and see her all flustered. Ling Tong was probably just picking on her or maybe just the alcohol talking. Though at least, that's what she was thinking at first.
The moment she felt his lips touch her's without warning, Lu Shan's eyes widened and her cheeks blazed red. That was when she realized...Ling Tong wasn't kidding...he really was interested in her. She felt so light headed all of a sudden, almost like she was going to faint. His lips were so warm and soft against hers and it felt so wonderful. Eventually her eyes started to close and fully accept his kiss, but before she could do anything Lu Shan felt his lips pull away. She looked up to meet his gaze feeling her entire face was blushing red. Listening to him actually say that he really did like her sent her heart racing. His hand felt so warm against her cheek, she just wanted it to stay there, but she knew that he was right...they both needed some sleep, yet she couldn't find herself to say a single word. Lu Shan wanted to say a lot of things, but she just couldn't put her words in order to make full sentences. As he walked away, at least Lu Shan managed to say, "Oh, um...good night then!"
Lu Shan found herself staring at Ling Tong's back as he walked away...was he going to look back to see how she was reacting? Though, he didn't even show any signs of wanting to looking back, somehow it brought a smile to her face. Ling Tong really was confident in himself, even borderline arrogant, but...how could she say no to him, especially since he was walking away. Softly she sighed, shaking her head softly in disbelief as she walked inside of the house. Lu Shan didn't know if Lu Xun or his wife were awake, but she didn't hesitate to walk straight into her room. She was worried if anyone saw her face they would question why she had a bright smile and her face was completely red. When she made it to her room, Lu Shan closed her door and and leaned against the wall, putting her hand on her chest to feel her heart was still racing. Ling Tong and her...together? Somehow she felt so excited for this...date they were doing to have. Eventually, when her heart finally settled, Lu Shan decided to get some rest, after all...tomorrow was going to be a big day. After getting into bed, it wasn't long before sleep took over her despite the excitement of tomorrow's events.
gpt
The following day thing started off early in the morning for the group who had been out all night. They all knew that they had the day off and they could go into town. The gathering of the group for the trip into town was something that was super easy as again, they all lived in the same place, so when the first person woke up, they would then go and wake up the next person and then they next person would be woken up and so on. It would only be a short period of time before all of them were up and about and getting ready to go on the trip. Each member of the group had different aims and goals from Oto wanting to go into town to get supplies from his cooking to a couple of them wanting to send out letters to friends or families or Yan who just wanted to be in a city and have some general fun at that moment in time. Each wanted to have fun and enjoy the time they had around each other.
Ling Tong himself was up early as normal as he thought about Lu Shan mostly, his mind think about the exotic and different female. He found her so amazing, and a woman who wouldn't leave his mind no matter how much he tried, which wasn't much. He got up and had a quick breakfast before he went and started to make sure they had all they would need for the trip to town gathering up a large troop transport carriage that could be used by all of them and would be pulled by a pack of horses into town. It would take them to town easily within a hour or so. It was a simple thing, with four hours pulling a open box like wagon that had two benches inside of it and plenty of room for all eleven of them.
He had all the things ready as he notice that the group was already showing up. He opened up the back of the wagon and let them in, as each of them got in, he noticed some had a lot of letters in bags to take with them where as others had nothing on them. He waited now just for the last person to show up. He looked around the camp, where they were, it didn't help. They were between two large buildings that blocked the view, so he could only really hope that Lu Shan would see them or would of seen the him or one of the others walk to the transport. He sat up in the transport as he was wondering if he had told here where they would be. He blinked, he didn't damn it, he forgot to tell her. He sighed as he knew that they would have to get going, and would hope that the smart young woman would be able to figure it out on her own. He looked at the others who were ready to go, and moved to his seat, he figured a few more minutes wouldn't hurt anything.
human
When morning came, Lu Shan woke up fairly early and immediately last night's development crossed into her mind. Seeing Ling Tong's face getting closer and closer until she felt the heat of his lips upon hers. She could still remember that warmth like it was fresh, like the kiss was still lingering on her smooth lips; he was so confident too. Ling Tong didn't even give her a warning before taking her first kiss. Her face already started to blush deeply remembering his sharp eyes and warm lips along with the mention of a date that left her speechless. How could he be so confident? It's like he knew she couldn't say no to him, not that she would anyway. He was a amazing fighter and leader after all...and such a handsome man...even though Lu Shan was entirely nervous she decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to go on her first date, after all he already kissed her...and embarrassingly enough left her wanting more.
After finally getting out of bed, Lu Shan got ready for the day expecting to have a full day of fun with her men before she...went on her date. Lu Shan shook her head to chase the thought away knowing it would just make her blush again. Even as she got ready, Ling Tong just couldn't get off her mind...she didn't know how she was going to react once she saw him again, but she really wanted to go. It didn't take long for her to get dressed and ready to go as long as she tried her best to keep Ling Tong out of her mind, which proved to be difficult. After having breakfast and saying goodbye to Lu Xun and his wife, Lu Shan stepped outside taking a deep breath to ready herself, but before she could take a single step Lu Shan realized something: she had no idea where they were suppose to meet. Realizing this, Lu Shan began to panic a bit knowing they wouldn't wait too long for her. She had to find the wagon quick!
Lu Shan looked around camp and to her luck, it was surprisingly quick to find the wagon even in a camp as large as Wu's. Though when she approached the wagon she figured that Ling Tong was waiting inside. Her hands trembled at the thought of seeing him again or even sitting next to him. Hopefully she looked good enough to his liking...after taking a deep breath, Lu Shan steeled her nerves and walked into the wagon. She smiled seeing her men waiting inside and said with relief, "Oh good, I'm not too late." Though her fears came true when she saw the only seat available was right beside Ling Tong. Just seeing his handsome face again made her blush, but she hoped that the dim lighting would make it hard for her men to see her face red or at least thought it was due to the heat. Lu Shan felt her heart racing as she walked closer and sat down next to Ling Tong, but found herself keeping herself closed up and tense with her legs closed tightly together and her hands remaining in her lap. She was scared just to touch him and couldn't find herself to meet his gaze. "G-good morning, Lord Ling Tong." She greeted trying to look normal in front of all of them.
gpt
The group of them noticed that Lu Shan had joined them, Ling Tong felt a bit awkward naturally having her along, but he knew she would feel that as well. He nodded his head as he looked at her, "glad you can make it, it is a honor to have you here with us," he said with a calm confident tone as he looked out side, "I am going to be taking care of business today, well mostly today. I know that you can handle yourselves and take care of what business each of you have. I am sure that we will meet up at the large outdoor eatery tonight where we will be able to spend time together talking and getting to know each other well. As you are all my subordinates it shall be rather interesting."
Oto looked over and smiled as did Yan, the farm boy and the pirate were good friends despite being rather different from each other. The group of them rode into the town, it was a good sized one with a large market area, with lots of different place to eat and have fun and relax as well. It was the best place to spend a freeday off. It would be great for each of them to have the fun that they hadn't most likely had since before they were in the army. The whole trip wasn't that long as the village wasn't all that far from where their camp happened to be either. As they arrived, Ling Tong waved to the group, "I shall see you all later," he commented as he looked over at her and then headed out into the town.
Oto looked and grabbed Lu Shan before she could follow Ling Tong, "Commander, I need your help," he requested as he looked at her, "I have a girl back home and I need to get her something, I was hoping that you would be able to go into the market and be able to help me pick up something for her to send back," he asked wanting her help to find the best gift for his girl back home. He figured that with her being a female, she would have a greater idea of what he should get and what would go over the best with her as well. He knew that if he did well with the gift he would be able to show that he was achieving higher ranks and give her a reason that she should be willing to wait for him too.
human
It really was nice to go into town again after all the fighting to relax and enjoy the world they once lived in. To Lu Shan, it was a kind reminder of why she joined the fight in the first place other then the benefits for her family: to protect the people within their territory. Even better was that the men were finally going to have fun for another day before returning to the horrors of war, without this time to enjoy life and relax, she didn't know what would happen to them mentally and spiritually. Besides....there was something to look forward to later...even if it was nerve wrecking and could possibly ruin things between her and her superior if things go horribly wrong, but...something amazing could happen if things went right.
Even if it was a bit disappointing to see Ling Tong leave so quickly, it was probably better that way. He probably had important business to take care of that she didn't need to tag along to. Though...she did have questions about his interest in her, but that doesn't matter right now, not anymore. When she felt a hand grab her, Lu Shan looked to see Oto asking for her help. She smiled learning that he had a girl waiting for him at home and seeing that he wanted to give her a present. At the same time, she was worried that Oto's lover wouldn't wait long enough for him by the time it was time for him to return home, sadly it happens. Just the thought of that happening to a friend she cared about was enough for her to help him, after all they were here to enjoy themselves at the same time and she needed something to take her mind off of Ling Tong for now.
Lu Shan gave him a warm smile and answered, "What a lucky girl, of course I'll help, it's great to see that you care about her so much." With that, Lu Shan followed beside Oto, walking through the market place seeing children running and playing with plenty of men, women, elderly, doing their shopping. She could hear stall owners calling and shouting for people to check out what they were selling, but it took Lu Shan a second to think of something Oto's lover would like. If she was a girl that was waiting for someone she loved to return...she would just want a small token or thing to let her know he was still thinking about her and loved her. When she saw a stall selling hair pins, it seemed like the perfect gift for her. With that in mind, Lu Shan looked at Oto and asked, "How about a hair pin? It's small, but meaningful, and it'll remind her of you everyday she wears it. Nothing big, but something that tells her that you still think about her and her beauty." She suggested seeing what he might think of the idea.
gpt
Ling Tong went into a back market, there were many people there at that moment. The person he was to meet with was there to, a young woman who was tall and slender and beautiful, his informant who was going to give him information. He looked at her and nodded his head as he listened to the information she had about the enemies that they would be fighting soon. She was able to get information about their leaders and the quality of troops that were in the area. He was able to find much of this information correct, which was why he trusted her as one source of information. He knew that as he got the information they would need to move just like he had told Lu Shan they would in a couple of days. Lu Meng would have them attack their foes before their foe had the chance to attack them. He knew that this would be a violent and bloody affair which made him want to be near Lu Shan even more.
Oto nodded his head as he thought about it. He smiled as he walked around looking for gifts. He wasn't good at picking out gifts, normally he just gave her something personal as a gift. He wasn't worried so much about her running off with another man, as they had been sweethearts their whole lives. He had joined the army to make enough money so that he could support himself and his sweetheart as well. He knew that with this work for a year or so, he could afford his own farm and he would be able to give his then wife a good home with a great place to raise a family just the pair of them. He smiled as he thought of that future. He wasn't sure what to do to make sure she knew that he hadn't forgot her thought.
Looking at the hairbrush, he nodded his hair, "yes, this will work, she has the longest most beautiful hair ever," he commented with pride. "She had been the most beautiful person I know since I was old enough to realize females aren't carries of fake illness that you get from kissing them," he said as he looked at her giving her a smile as he took the brush and then paid for it,. "I shall be off, I saw Yan nearby, I think he was looking though the rice wines or something, not sure what he is up to, but you might want to check up on him if you want," Oto said with a smile as he bowed to his superior, "I am off, got to go write a letter and send it off while I am in town," he said before rushing off himself.
human
Lu Shan smiled listening to the way Oto talked about his sweetheart with pride. That woman waiting for him back home must be one that worth fighting for if he's loved her since they were children. She's heard so many couples who grow bored of each other and lose passion in their lives because they were together for so long, but it looked like the opposite for Oto. Really, Oto was a good man and she felt lucky for the girl he would go home to, especially after seeing this side of him. Part of her started wondering about Ling Tong, she wondered if he would be...the one for her. Oto has the one for him, but...after what happened last night, Lu Shan began to wonder more and more about their relationship. No, it's too soon to think about that...just because he kissed her doesn't mean they're together...maybe she'll find out more about them later tonight....
After saying goodbye to Oto, Lu Shan started to walk around keeping her eye out for Yan like Oto suggested. Though her thoughts began to wonder back to Ling Tong again, especially as she saw the beautiful village maidens in the market. She began to wonder if she was good enough. Was she pretty enough? Was she feminine enough? What did Ling Tong like in women? Lu Shan sighed having conflict with herself about herself. Whatever it was that was happening between Ling Tong and her, she just wanted it to work out, even if they did remain just friends. This was her first time ever worried about being good enough for a man. Is this what it's like to be a normal village girl? Is this what her sister's worry about while she's away at war fighting for them?
Another sigh escaped her lips, she had to stop thinking about this until it was time to worry about it. Ling Tong wouldn't just kiss her if he didn't find her attractive or interesting, so she's doing something right at least. Before her thoughts could take over again, Lu Shan spotted Yan doing what Oto suspected he would be, browsing rice wines and other things of that nature, maybe Yan could help her put her mind at ease. She approached him with a smile and greeted, "Hello Yan, having a good time?" She decided to stick around with him for awhile and started browsing the wines for sell. Lu Shan picked up one that seemed like it would taste good, something that couples would share...she wondered if Ling Tong would like it.
gpt
Yan was looking at the wines, his eye scanning them looking over the labels for a moment when he heard the sound of Lu Shan's voice and paused for a moment, turning his eyes towards her, the long messy hair of the former pirate looked at the woman for a moment. He was her elder and the only one of her command who was so. He didn't mind as he wasn't one for worry over rank, or who was in charge. He had a loose command even when he had his own pirate crew, but that was just his pirate style, in some ways he was similar to Gai Ning, though in some ways he was very different then the other pirate. He paused as he picked up a bottle of rice wine and tossed it over to Lu Shan, he guessed that she would catch it and when she did he gave her a half smile.
"Now, the flower of our unit seems to be blossoming, but also seems to be rather confused at the moment. Matter of the heart I am guessing. I have seen that look on many of my crew's faces over the years, and it is easy for me to read, really so," he commented as he Yan looked at her and smiled at the surprise on her face, of course she wouldn't of thought him to know. "I was a commander of a ship full of pirates for 6 years, I might not look it but I am actually almost 28 years old, and started piracy when I was 18, actually back then it was just being a mercenary against the Yellow Turbans," he commented as he looked at the woman for a moment as he turned his eyes back to the wine. "I have had to help many men with women problems, so I guess helping a woman with a man problem isn't much different."
He scanned the wines again, "Ling Tong, likes that type of wine, saw it in his cabin when I meet him three years ago, I was put into your unit to watch out after you actually by Lu Meng, you see, I had turned down my own command, generalship and all that mess, to much work, to help him with a job he wanted. To watch you and make sure you didn't get yourself into any trouble and were able to grow into the officer he thought you would," he explained as he looked at her. "I am sure you figured it out, why else would they have a solider who could fire better and fight better then others as a recruit, especially when he was once at the same rank as some generals in Wu," he commented before looking right at her. "Fear, not, I am sure based on how he looks at you, he has a thing for you, but I think another officer might have a thing for you too here, but I am sure you will figure that one out later."
human
When Yan tossed the bottle of wine at her, Lu Shan's reflexes acted immediately and helped her catch the bottle with both hands. She curiously looked at the bottle questioning why Gan threw it to her in the first place, but what he had to say caught her completely off guard. Yan already figured it out?! Lu Shan was embarrassed immediately seeing that it was so easy to read that someone was tugging at her heart. Then again, as she listened to him it made sense how he figured it out so easily while everyone else had no idea. Gan was much older then her, so she immediately saw him as wiser than she was, but she was still shocked that he figured out her secret feelings. Hopefully he didn't figure out which man was responsible for stealing her heart, even though it was already embarrassing that he caught her in the first place. Her cheeks were burning red from the embarrassment and with all the talk about romance suddenly, Ling Tong had popped into her mind once again.
Yet it appears Yan already knew it was Ling Tong to begin with seeing that he dropped his name claiming the wine he tossed to her was one he liked. Though as the pirate went on to talk about Lu Meng placed him in her squad as a sort of guide ce did put a smile on her face as she held onto the wine and became less tense. It was a curious thing why Lu Meng decided to have someone far superior as a private, but now she saw just how caring and loyal Yan could be despite his appearance. He could have easily been a commander, yet he chose to stay as a private under a commander who not only lied, but had no expirence before this. Lu Shan really felt lucky to have a friend like him, and...maybe it wasn't so bad that he figured out her love life, maybe he could be the man to go to for help about those sort of things.
Though mentioning that someone else may have their eyes on her did catch her by surprise. Yan...might be right, after all he could figure her out just one look. While she was curious who that might be, her heart was still on Ling Tong, after all it was him that stole her first kiss. She gripped the wine bottle nervously and sighed softly looking down at it. Then she looked back up at Yan and started to speak," Thank you Yan...you're a good friend...I honestly will come to you if I need help both on the battleground and well...you know." She chuckled softly with a shrug. "After getting caught about my feelings, you might be right about someone else, but...I'm going to stick to one man unless something happens between us, but again...thank you." She smiled and bowed to him respectfully. "And I'm sure Ling Tong will be happy that youhelped me pick out wine too." She smiled cheerfully