The Warring States, Books 1-3

by Greg Strandberg

  Without another word Dao cracked the reins hard across the two horses and sent their chariot moving, the other chariots quickly making way, their circle coming apart as each car fell into line. They raced along the river and away from the sounds of fighting and after a minute Wu glanced over his shoulder to see that they were already out of view of the battle raging behind them.

  For several minutes they raced south along the river, the archers in the chariots behind them keeping a sharp look out with their keen eyes for any spot on the river that would allow their chariots to cross without difficulty. After several more minutes Wu urged Dao to slow their chariot and to wave on several of the cars behind them. It was obvious that their small force would have to move more slowly and with greater spaces between them if they were to locate a suitable crossing. It wasn’t until three-quarters of an hour had elapsed that a shout came from further up their column and the other chariots raced to the stopped car.

  “There!” an archer pointed excitedly. “See the swirls in the water? This spot is shallow enough across the whole length.”

  Already a man was halfway across the river, the water reaching no higher than the top of his ankles. Wu narrowed his eyes and after a moment saw what the man was pointing at. The water swirled and eddied all along a jagged line of the river, something that could only occur with rocks close to the surface. While he was still looking the first chariot drove into the river, slowly at first, but with greater speed once it became obvious that it wouldn’t sink under the rushing water. Halfway across the man standing in the water jumped into the car and after another few moments the car was on the other side of the river, the men eagerly waving back at them.

  “We cross here,” Dao called out loudly before he cracked the reins and sent their chariot into the water. The river bottom was uneven and the rocks beneath them shifted under their weight, but within moments they were halfway then approaching the opposite shore. When they were safely out of the river Wu looked behind to see a line of chariots following them across. Within minutes their whole column was again racing along the river, this time on the opposite bank and toward the fighting.

  What took them the better part of an hour took them less than ten minutes to cover as their chariots sped back to the sounds of battle, the fine red dust of the plain swirling up in clouds behind them. The ring of steel on steel and the shouts and cries of men fighting and dying carried to them, and Dao cracked the reins again and again to bring them to it. The hills on the other side of the river slowly turned north and eventually they were able to see the battle. The sight Wu had been dreading, Yue infantry across the river, their smaller force surrounded and greatly outnumbered, was not the sight that confronted them. Instead, and much to his surprise, what he saw was the Yue infantry falling back from the river.

  “They’re falling back!” Dao yelled over the roar of their wheels as he too saw what has happening.

  Wu put his hand up to his eyes to block the sun, then pulled his head back, his eyes going wide with surprise.

  “Our forces have arrived from the north!” he shouted. “They’ve come right down on top of the Yue chariots at the river’s mouth.”

  “And their infantry is rushing to meet the new threat,” Dao said, referring to the Yue forces rushing back across the river.

  “The battle is won, Sire,” Wu said into Dao’s ear.

  “Not yet it isn’t, not with King Yi still on the field.”

  Wu had expected that reply, but was still unhappy to hear it. “Sire, we don’t have to make this reckless charge. King Yi will have no choice but to pull back now that we match or even outnumber his own forces. Already his chariots are trapped between our infantry and newly arrived chariots. Don’t put yourself in needless danger.”

  “The battle ends here and now, Wu,” Dao replied so quietly that Wu barely heard him.

  Wu frowned but and gritted his teeth. There was not much he could do, he realized, so he patted Po on the arm.

  “Get ready,” he said to the archer.

  Po nodded and thrust his bow over his head. Wu glanced back to see the other archers in the chariots behind them ready their own bows while beside him Po nocked an arrow. They would have to pull up somewhere and stop if they wanted their shots to have any chance of success; firing from moving chariots was difficult for even the most skilled, and it wouldn’t do to have the element of surprise go with a reckless volley. Dao didn’t seem to think so, however, for he continued to race north, even when King Yi’s small command was spotted, his officers and guards obviously in confusion with the turn the battle had taken.

  “Sire, we have to stop!” Wu yelled out.

  Dao either didn’t hear him or ignored him, for he cracked the reins once then twice, giving them a greater burst of speed. He raised his other arm up in the air and threw it forward in the motion to charge. Wu looked forward and saw that several of the men around Yi were frantically pointing toward them but before he could voice any more concerns Po angled his bow higher and let loose. His arrow was joined by dozens of others from behind, each of them sailing up and out over the hundred yards that separated them from Yi’s men. The metal heads glinted in the sun as the shafts rose and then fell, all falling either short or to the side of where Yi’s men were. Their element of surprise gone, they had no other choice but to continue the charge; by the time they pulled up to turn about Yi’s own men would be firing down on them.

  Even before his arrow was falling toward the ground Po had another nocked and he let that one fly. The other men behind them did the same, and this time a few found their marks, sending four of Yi’s men to the ground dead while two others clutched at shafts sprouting from their legs. Surprise was gone, however, and Yi’s men were already in a circular formation, their King at their center and heavily guarded with shields to stop any arrows that might find him.

  After the second volley came the third, with much the same results, and then they were just a few dozen yards away. Wu grabbed the sword hanging from his belt and braced himself. Dao gave no sign of slowing the chariot or of turning it, and if he did neither they would slam right into the ring of horses and chariots surrounding Yi.

  As they came within ten yards of the circle of men Dao let out a savage yell, dropped the reins from his hands, grabbed hold of his sword with one hand and clutched at the side of the car with the other. Wu did the same, but Po, an arrow nocked and ready, kept careful aim, either oblivious of the impact to come or totally unconcerned. When they were just yards away and Wu could see the fear in the Yue soldiers’ eyes, Po let loose, his arrow slamming into and then out of the chest of the soldier directly in front of him. The last thing Wu saw was the man’s eyes go wide before their horses reared and their chariot slammed into King Yi’s line. After that everything went black.

  SIXTEEN

  When Wu came to he was lying on the ground, his sword still clutched tightly in his hand. All around him were the sounds of battle; of steel ringing and men and horses yelling and screaming and dying. He sat up, his head swimming. The first thing he saw was an overturned chariot still fastened to two horses, one dead the other dying loudly and painfully. There was no sign of either Po or Dao, however, and a quick look around confirmed that neither was lying about dead, at least not within his narrow field of view. It looked as though most of the dozen chariots had followed Dao’s charge right up to the end, for chariots were piled about, overturned and in some cases atop one another, their horses contorted into all sorts of gruesome poses, many already dead but most screaming out in agony.

  Wu pushed himself to his feet with his free hand and was able to see over some of the wrecked chariots. All about him men were fighting, most hand-to-hand with swords, although a few hung back and took aim with their bows. He turned about and realized that he had been facing away from where they had charged. In front of him sat Po’s lifeless body, impaled on a jagged splinter of wood from one of the ruined chariots, his eyes wide and blood already drying in a thin line from his mo
uth. There was no way the archer could have survive the crash, Wu knew that when they were still in the chariot, for the last shot had cost him all. Duke Dao, however, had grasped onto the chariot as Wu had, and he could still be alive, perhaps fighting even now.

  The first step that Wu took was agony and his face grimaced up in pain, his body almost toppling back to the ground. He quickly steadied himself, his arms bracing his leg, and looked down. There was no discernable wound and after pulling up his robes he could only see a large bruise, bright red but already turning a purplish black. A bone could be broken, he thought, but he was able to put some weight on it, so the injury couldn’t be too severe. Gingerly he took a step forward, and then another. His leg sent shooting pains all throughout his body, but he gritted his teeth and carried on. Several steps brought him to Po’s body, and from there he could see past the first line of wrecked chariots.

  What he saw was pure chaos. Men bloodied from the charge were standing about, some barely managing that, and swinging away at one another with swords. Many had trouble keeping their balance, and swayed this way and that with each swing, often staggering past their opponents when an attack missed. The sight would have been comical had the circumstances not been so serious. We peered about, past the dozen men fighting away at one another, but couldn’t see Dao. Gripping his sword tightly at his side he limped out from behind the line of ruined chariots and steered his way around the men engaged in their struggles. He managed to move quickly, his part-run part-hop movements taking him past the battling men and to the second line of chariots, a line of King Yi’s that were undamaged and with many of the horses still tied to them. The sounds of more fighting and yelling were coming from the other side as Wu craned his head around one of the large cars.

  On the other side he saw men fighting, and judging from their performance, they were the men in the rear of the charge on his side and the closest to King Yi on the Yue side. They swung at one another expertly with their swords, the ring of steel echoing out loudly. Most likely these men had rushed up to the undamaged chariots, past men that were laying about after the initial impact, men they had suspected were dead, or else simply too bruised and battered to offer a fight. They had obviously met the main guard of King Yi and were now battling it out. But still there was no sight of Duke Dao.

  And then he heard it, a cry for help coming from the other side of the chariot.

  Wu limped out further and saw King Yi down on one knee, blood coming from his left side. Duke Dao stood over him, his sword bloodied and swinging down for another strike. Yi managed to get his own blade up in time to block the swing, and shouted out again. Several of the Yue men battling looked over, but none of them was in a position to break off their own fight and get to their king in time. Wu knew that it wouldn’t be long, however, before someone heard the king’s cries and came to his aid. Dao seemed to sense it too, for his sword came back up and down again quickly, ringing against Yi’s blade as the king blocked the attack. Yi tried to rise up, but it was obvious the wound in his side was serious. Wu limped out from the chariot and toward Dao, hoping to get to his side in time to end the fight with the king and get him safely to one of the still-undamaged chariots and then back to their own lines.

  He was just a few yards from the two rulers when an arrow slammed into Dao’s back. The force of it caused Dao’s arms to splay out in front of him, but only for a moment before he regained his balance. Wu turned about to see an archer behind him, standing next to the same chariot he’d just come from. The man was already nocking another arrow to his bow and would be ready to fire in moments. Wu glanced back at Dao and saw that he was preparing another swing at Yi, despite the arrow sticking from him. Without thinking of the risk or the pain in his leg, Wu broke into as much of a run as he could manage and charged at the archer. The man had his bow up and was about to loose his arrow at Wu, his eyes suddenly going wide at the sight of the wounded man rushing at him, when Wu threw his sword. The blade spun end-over-end and hit the man, striking his bow first and sending the arrow skittering to the ground. Wu was on him in the next moment, pummeling him with his fists. The archer fought back and Wu saw him reach for a dagger at his belt. Wu punched him again and again and the man’s hands moved away from the dagger and to his face. Wu reached for the dagger, pulled it free, and drove it into the man’s chest. The man let out a guttural moan, but Wu didn’t wait to see if he was dead. He spun about to look back at Dao and Yi, and his eyes went wide.

  “No!” he cried out.

  Dao was now the one on his knees, his sword held loosely in his hand, its point resting on the ground. Yi was standing over him, his own sword now bloodied. The king looked up when he heard the cry, and smiled at the sight of Wu staring back at him. Yi grasped his sword with both hands in an overhand grip and drove the point down into Dao’s chest, pulling it out again quickly. Dao fell to the ground face forward and didn’t move. Yi stared back at Wu, the same smile on his face, and was about to start toward him when one of his men rushed up to him and began shouting at him while pulling him back. Yi started to argue, his eyes still on Wu, but the man was insistent. He pointed behind Wu, pleading with Yi, and whatever he said must have convinced him. The king nodded, smiled one last time at Wu, and then let the man pull him away and out of sight. Men were still fighting, but there were only a few, and the sight of Duke Dao laying face down on the ground seemed to give the Chu soldiers a boost. They quickly dispatched the last of their opponents, a few rushing toward where King Yi had been pulled away to, others going to their fallen Duke. Wu struggled to his feet and limped to his fallen ruler. The other Chu soldiers had already turned him over onto his back, and his eyes were still open and peering about when Wu got to him.

  “Sire!” Wu said as he pushed his way past the few men staring down at their duke.

  “Wu,” Dao said so quietly that Wu had to bend down to within inches of his face. “Did you see? I had him finished, I-”

  Dao coughed and a bloody-red phlegm came up onto his face.

  “Sire, don’t speak.”

  Dao struggled through the coughing fit, more blood coming up, before he was once again able to talk.

  “I ran him…clean through…his side….bloodied.”

  “I know, Sire, I saw.” Wu had to choke back tears at the sight of Dao struggling to speak.

  “That…cursed archer…”

  “I killed him,” Wu said, and a slight smile came to Dao’s face.

  “And we’ll finish off Yi as well, you can be sure of that,” Wu added.

  “Good…good,” Dao said.

  His voice trailed off and his eyes went from Wu to the sky above. His gaze locked on whatever sight he saw and stayed that way for several moments.

  “Sire?” Wu said, gently shaking Dao. “Sire!”

  “He’s gone,” one of the men standing near said.

  “May Shangdi bless him,” another said.

  “May Shangdi bless him,” all of the men said as one.

  Wu reached up and ran his hand over Dao’s face, closing his eyes. He hung his head for a moment then started to push himself back to his feet, one of the soldiers grasping his arm for support.

  “Help me load him into one of the undamaged chariots,” Wu said when he was standing.

  “They were all damaged beyond use in the charge,” one of the men said.

  “Then put him in one of the Yue chariots!” Wu snapped.

  “Yes, sir,” the man said, and four of the soldiers bent down to pick up their fallen ruler by the arms and legs. They carried him over to one of the Yue chariots and laid him down inside the car. One of the men pulled his robes up over his head and laid them over Dao’s body, unconcerned with his nakedness. Wu limped behind them and climbed up into the car, careful not to step on Dao’s body, and took up the reins.

  “Take another chariot to the river,” Wu said to the soldiers staring up at him. “Tell General Min what has happened. Tell him that I’ll be heading south along the river, back to th
e capital. Bring another chariot; I won’t have the Duke’s body ride into the capital aboard a chariot from the State of Yue.”

  The men bowed their heads as Wu stared into each of their faces, none saying a word. Wu nodded at them and then snapped the reins, steering the two horses around the carnage of wrecked chariots and dead men and horses. Within moments he was out of the area of battle and onto the open plain once again. A quick glance up toward the fighting revealed that the Yue forces were in full retreat, rushing north up the plain from the direction they’d come, the Chu soldiers fast on their heels. The battle was won, but Min was not letting the enemy escape. He meant to finish King Yi and the State of Yue, here on the vast plain if possible, outside of the gates of Shouchun if not. Wu doubted those plans would change once word of Dao’s death reached him; most likely it would only embolden him and the soldiers, ending the State of Yue all the quicker. But at what price? Wu thought Duke Dao’s death would embolden the soldiers to fight harder, but would it also embolden the Chu nobles to fight as well? There discontent at the changes Wu had brought had been checked by Dao, but would that discontent stay in check when Dao’s son Su Xiong took power? The nobles may well strike out against the young man as soon as word got back to Ying of the duke’s death. The thought made Wu crack the reins all the harder, the better to get back to the capital with the Duke’s body before word did.

  Wu was racing along the river when he heard shouts behind him. He turned and saw a dozen chariots several yards back and on the opposite bank. In the lead chariot, waving frantically and shouting to get his attention, was Min. Wu reined up and brought his chariot to a stop. Within moments the other chariots had come to rest across the river and Min and a dozen men wasted no time walking right into and across the water.