Inside the camp at Pingyu, Ying-tai quietly trained his men as they waited for the next move against Chu while keeping a close look out on any advancing threat. Wanting to rid the Qin soldiers off their land, the Chu troops led by a young general, Xiang Yan, launched a plan to attack the camp.

“General Xiang Yan,” one of his scouts rode his horse toward him, “it doesn’t seem as though they will be making their move anytime soon. Their status has not changed since they’ve arrived.”

“We should attack soon, General. We are waiting too long. Our men are growing tired and hungry,” A lieutenant suggested.

“Unit Commander Ying-tai of Qin,” Xiang Yan stroked his beard as he eyed their camp from afar, “I was expecting a lot more from you. But I guess all men of Qin are the same. How disappointing. I was hoping you’d live up to the roaring praise the country has for you.”

“What will we do, General?” The lieutenant asked.

“We will attack in the morning. Let the men know.”

All the while, Ying-tai was watching them from his telescope. As the brilliant yellow from the uniform of the Chu army disappeared over the hill, he lowered his telescope and turned to Huian.

“Get our defense ready,” Ying-tai ordered.

Huian nodded and motioned their men to get in position.

When dawn approached, Ying-tai mounted his horse and stood before his men. “As planned, we will keep grounded. Our only objective now is to defend this camp. Follow my lead with faith. Stay in formation and do not stray.”

“Yes!” His men nodded.

Ying-tai listened to the rumbling hoof-steps that approached. Closer. Closer. Closer. Ying-tai looked up at Xia who nodded to let him know everyone was in position. Huian watched Ying-tai get his bow ready.

“I rarely see you use a bow,” Huian smiled. “You’re usually closer to your sword. This ought to be amusing.”

Ying-tai grinned, “Now, Huian, I don’t allow my abilities to be challenged by whatever weapon I hold in my hand.”

Everyone, equipped with bow and arrows, stood silently by their position. As soon as the footsteps were close enough, Ying-tai signaled his men. From the tall grass, Qin soldiers rose. They pulled back their strings and released their arrows in harmony.

Xiang Yan, who was still charging forward on his horse, looked around him and saw his men fall one by one. Then his attention was caught when he saw horses swarm out from all corners. As the cavalry approached, their colors became clearer. Qin’s red army bled through the field, all shooting arrows. They were swift. Accurate. Well fluent in the art of archery.

“The Qin army is composed of only archers?” Xiang Yan’s lieutenant wondered.

“No! Qin’s army is NOT composed of only archers! Don’t be an idiot! This is what THEY must have been doing all this while: training a whole unit of men for long range!” Xiang Yan explained.

Ying-tai’s men remained in formation, speeding in circles around the scurrying Chu army. Having stripped their horses from all armor, they were able to move with more agility. When the Chu soldiers tried to strike, they pulled back and then tirelessly returned to attack. In the midst of the fight, Xiang Yan saw an arrow whiz before his eyes. He turned his head toward the direction the arrow flew from, and there before him was Ying-tai approaching him on his dark horse with his bow drawn back and an arrow already in place to be released from the tension of the string.

Before Ying-tai could release the arrow from its hold, four Chu horsemen began to charge at Ying-tai from all sides. They all charged at once, not wanting to take any risks against him. Ying-tai saw a spear lunge toward his direction from the corner of his eye and let go of the arrow that was forced to change its intended direction. Ying-tai shifted back to dodge the hit from the horseman and wrapped the spear under his arm and invited the momentum, spinning himself and the Chu horseman off their horse.

Ying-tai quickly got on his feet before the Chu horseman and swept up his bow from the ground with his foot and speedily drew an arrow to his face. As the arrow’s blade made its way into the Chu horseman’s skull, the other three advanced toward Ying-tai with their spears. They lunged their weapons downward to Ying-tai in which he jumped over them and placed himself on top of the shaft of their spears. They lifted their spears and raised him up from the ground. Ying-tai flipped over to one of the horsemen and mounted himself onto his horse. Ying-tai quickly stuck an arrow to his neck and used his body as a shield. The two remaining horsemen stabbed their spears into the dead horseman and shifted him off the horse. They lunged again at Ying-tai who spun upward and dodged their stike.

As Ying-tai took his footing on top of the horse’s back, he drew his arrow and shot it into the neck of one horseman. The last one lunged frantically at Ying-tai’s feet, trying to knock him off the horse’s back. When he couldn’t falter Ying-tai’s footing, he pierced into the horse’s neck who jumped back from the pain. Ying-tai leaned forward, jumped, and then took his footing on top of the Chu horseman’s spear. Before the horseman could retaliate, Ying-tai drew his arrow and shot it into his skull while still lightly balancing himself on the shaft of the spear in midair.

Ying-tai took the Chu horseman’s horse and made his way through the field. He soon spotted his dark horse, Shen, trying to fend off the Chu infantry. Speeding toward Shen, he shot his arrows away one by one like lightning, all of them meeting the heart of their target. In that split moment, his quiver emptied. He reached back for more arrows but his fingers were unable to feel for any. Realizing he was out, he drew his sword and soared off the horse he was on. Lightly landing on his feet next to Shen, the eyes of the Chu soldiers met Ying-tai’s.

“It’s the Unit Commander of Qin!” One man shrieked.

“Ying-tai!” The others cried.

“The Beast of battlefields!”

“Demon of War!”

While they were standing in fear, Xia and Huian came from behind and knocked them down to the ground. They looked at Ying-tai and smiled. They turned their head toward the Chu general.

“What are you waiting for?” Xia said as he chased a running horse to mount.

“Let’s go chase the big fish!” Huian said as he too climbed onto a stray horse.

Ying-tai climbed onto Shen and sped forward with Huian and Xia following closely behind while knocking armed men in yellow off their feet. Ying-tai slid to the side of his dark horse and picked up a fallen bow and arrow from the ground. The three of them rode after Xiang Yan who called his men to retreat. Ying-tai drew back his bow and aimed. His fingers released the string and the arrow soared into the sky over the Qin army that maintained their formation as they closely followed Ying-tai; herding the Chu troops inside their circle as they continuously shot arrows. A flying arrow drilled itself into the shoulders of Xiang Yan. He whimpered over his horse and pulled the arrow out. His brilliant yellow silk soon became drenched in blood. He looked over his shoulders and spotted the Ying-tai dressed in deep red. He glared at him and cursed under his breath. He drew deeper into Chu territory in hopes for Ying-tai’s troops to follow and find themselves trapped within the remaining numbers of Chu soldiers.

Ying-tai pulled on his reins and raised his arm up. His cavalry quickly came to a stop.

“This is as far as we’ll go. Return to base,” he ordered.

Huian nodded and waved his arm.

Seeing the Qin army draw back instead made Xiang Yan angry and he roared as he rode away, clutching onto the yellow silk on his injured shoulder that was dyed red by Ying-tai.

After Xiang Yan’s great loss, they only stood guarded by their base and kept a close watch on any suspicious acts that may rise from the Qin army. If they decided to advance, Xiang Yan will lure them into the awaiting number of men inside Chu. However, Ying-tai’s refusal to make any further advances toward Chu made Xiang Yan grow weary and impatient, forcing him to draw back and fully retreat due to the inactivity of Qin’s army led by Ying-tai.

A scout came running through the entrance of the camp to tell Ying-tai and the officials of the news. Huian was on his way to meet Ying-tai and turned his head when the sound of the hooves from the horse approached him. Seeing Huian, the scout immediately came to a stop and climbed down from his horse.

“Second Commander Huian!” He gasped as he bowed, “I need to see Unit Commander Ying-tai. It’s about the Chu army.”

“Come with me. I am on my way to meet him myself,” Huian said as he led him.

Pushing the drapes of the tent to the side, Huian made his way in with the scout. The steel armored officials within moved to the side to let Huian through and bowed to him as he walked by while his armor clanged.

“Huian,” Ying-tai greeted.

Huian bowed to him then turned to the side. “This soldier has news for you,” he presented.

The scout bowed to Ying-tai and cleared his throat. “The Chu soldiers have grown weary of the wait and have disbanded.”

“Finally,” Xia commented.

“Excellent!” Ying-tai smiled, happy that Chu has finally made the move he had been waiting for. “The retreating Chu soldiers have come to an exhaust at this point. Thinking we no longer plan or have the power to advance against Chu because of our lack of action the past several months, it is unlikely that they will be on guard. This makes it perfect for us to make our move. This is the moment we were waiting for.”

“When do you want to launch the assault?” One of Ying-tai’s lieutenants asked.

Ying-tai looked at his men and grinned. “Get our men ready. Tell them their patience has been paid off.”

His men’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes!” They all shouted and walked out of the tent to prepare for the fight.

Ying-tai led six hundred thousand of his men after Xiang Yan’s troop. They split up into two groups. Half of them were led by Huian and Xia while the other followed Ying-tai. Pursuing the Chu army tangentially, they chased them to Qinan and released the long awaited fight. Raging with spirit from holding back their swords for too long of a time, six hundred thousand Qin soldiers stormed into the city with full force. Huian and Xia’s group attacked from one side while Ying-tai’s soared from the other. Unsheathing his hungry blade, Ying-tai smote down Chu men by uncountable numbers. He looked around for Xiang Yan and finally spotted him on top of a tower. Ying-tai jumped over the Chu soldiers to reach Xiang Yan. They attempted to chase after him and stop him but were interrupted and slain by Qin soldiers who built a wall between them.

Ascending into the air and onto the top of the tower, Ying-tai pointed his sword toward Xiang Yan but Xiang Yan did not budge. He stood silent, watching the men below them.

“Seems as though you’ve checkmated me,” he chuckled. He turned to face Ying-tai.

Ying-tai, still pointing his sword at him, smiled, “I have to say, it’s all thanks to luck. You made the move that was in correlation to my need.”

Xiang Yan returned the smile, “You are a worthy foe, Unit Commander Ying-tai of Qin. Even when remaining still, you are able to inflict damage on a whole army. You’ve exhausted my men. Made them cower in fear. Gave them sleepless nights. Sucked their spirits dry.” He took in a deep breath and his expression suddenly dropped, “And I allowed you to obscure my judgment.” He turned to his men and spread his arms before him and cried, “Now look at me! My people! I let myself grow obsessed with thoughts of warfare I forgot the needs of a normal human being and brought my men to their doom.” He fell onto his knees and sighed, “All I’ve done was lead you to slaughter my people.”

Ying-tai lowered his sword, “General, you must not let your obligations make you a victim. This is all part of war. The innocent will suffer. The innocent will die. All you and I could do is to carry this war to its end so they won’t have to live in fear longer than they need to.”

Ying-tai watched Xiang Yan look at his city with great fondness. He got on his feet and unsheathed his sword and raised it up. He pointed it at Ying-tai who also got in his stance to strike. Standing at the edge of the tower, they looked at each other and listened to the roars beneath them. A straying arrow flew between them and signaled them to move.

Ying-tai flew forward, his red garments flowing from behind. Xiang Yan mimicked his movement with his yellow robe following closely by and clashed his sword with Ying-tai’s. They strode around the edge of the tower, careful not to slip off. Ying-tai’s steps were lighter and more effortless than Xiang Yan’s for Xiang Yan was stumbling for footing more than Ying-tai was.

Another stray arrow flew toward them but from behind Xiang Yan. Ying-tai swiftly lunged his sword by Xiang Yan’s cheek and struck the arrow away with his sword before it met with Xiang Yan’s head. He looked at Ying-tai and realized what he just did. He smirked and continued on his fight with Ying-tai. They made another round around the tower clashing swords. Xiang Yan plunged forward, making Ying-tai fly backwards. As Ying-tai lightly landed on his feet, Xiang Yan saw two stray arrows head straight to Ying-tai. With his yellow sleeve, Xiang Yan whipped it away. Ying-tai looked the arrows that spun away and returned his eyes to Xiang Yan.

“I respect a noble fighter,” Xiang Yan smiled at his opponent.

Ying-tai grinned, “You sure it’s not because you don’t want an arrow to take credit and hurt your pride?”

Xiang Yan chuckled and leapt forward fiercely. Ying-tai swung his sword to meet with Xiang Yan’s blade. High up on the tower, arrows flew toward their direction but none of them were able to hit the two men. They fought, swung their swords and, like a petal from a plum blossom, lightly drifted from one end of the tower to the other all the while striking away stray arrows from their sparring space.

Each time Ying-tai and Xiang Yan soared into the air and clanged swords, Ying-tai would also quickly turn his blade against the arrows that flew toward them, and Xiang Yan would return the gesture. Soon, Xiang Yan noticed that Ying-tai was flicking away a far greater number of arrows than he was and yet Ying-tai was still able to fight against him meticulously.

Is this boy just playing with me? Xiang Yan wondered as he watched Ying-tai. Or perhaps, testing me?

When they landed on their feet, Ying-tai immediately shot forward and positioned his sword to make a swift vital hit. But before Ying-tai’s sword could even brush against Xiang Yan’s skin, and before Xiang Yan could even lift his eyes up to Ying-tai, a flaming arrow shot right before Xiang Yan’s face and the embers bursted in front of his eyes as it hit the stone wall by them. Ying-tai yanked his momentum back and interrupted his own strike. He twisted around back to face Xiang Yan and saw him falling off the ledge.

“General Xiang Yan!” He quickly extended his arm out and grabbed his.

Xiang Yan brushed his eyes then looked up at Ying-tai. He did not give any effort to climb back. Instead, he opened his lips to speak.

“I’ve seen what men of war are capable of towards civilians of enemy states. I was one of them,” he began. “I was a monster!” There was regret in him and tears started to spill uncontrollably from the corner of his eyes. “But you’ve opened my eyes to see from the other side. The fear is real!”

Ying-tai tightened his grip. “Xiang Yan, push yourself up! We must finish this fight the right way.”

“Know that I love my people, Unit Commander Ying-tai of Qin. I don’t want them to suffer by people like me! I am willing to bear all sins on my shoulders alone as I march through hell if that’s what I shall do to show repentance,” Xiang Yan continued.

Ying-tai stopped and looked into Xiang Yan’s’ eyes.

“Please make sure they see the world you dream of. A world with no fear.” Xiang Yan begged.

Ying-tai nodded. “With my way, they will know no fear,” he promised.

Xiang Yan smiled at Ying-tai. He loosened his grip.

“General! It will be iniquitous of you to force your own lost against me!” Ying-tai shouted as he held on tighter.

“I am not a worthy opponent for you,” Xiang Yan said. “Stain your sword and soil your hands with a greater, more deserving foe!”

“Xiang Yan! I said men like us must carry this through to the end together!” Ying-tai refused to let go and end the fight improperly.

“You are not like us. I see it in the way you fight,” Xiang Yan said as he forced Ying-tai’s grip to loosen.

Ying-tai stared wide-eyed into Xiang Yan’s eyes and noticed it was filled with genuine peace. Unable to refuse him his chosen way to serenity, Ying-tai lowered his head and allowed his own grip to soften. Xiang Yan smiled with thankfulness.

“Yes. With your way, we will not live in a world of fear,” he said to Ying-tai in a warm voice. “Your way called Peace.”

Ying-tai raised his eyes up but Xiang Yan already slipped from his hold and fell down below, plunging his own sword into his chest. As the red from his blood poured out from his heart and cascaded over every yellow thread of his uniform, the roars began to cease in Qinan as the Chu army fell and the red flags of Qin hung high.

Walking over the many fallen men, Huian and Xia ran to Ying-tai when they found him crouching by the dead general. They approached quietly and stood by Ying-tai.

“General Xiang Yan of Chu,” Huian addressed. “He was a vile man. He allowed his men to do the unthinkable.”

“Good riddance,” Xia glared.

Huian looked at Xia who lowered his head at his stare and shrugged, “Just saying.”

Ying-tai covered the dead Chu general’s head with a yellow cloth. “Who are we to insult other warriors? Aren’t we just also men who slaughter each other to gain what we want?” Ying-tai questioned. He stood up and brushed his clothes, still looking at the lying general. “He had a vision worth fighting for. He just didn’t choose the right approach to meet it. If given the right direction things would’ve been much different.”

Huian turned his eyes away from Ying-tai and lowered them to the young general that seemed to be only Ying-tai’s age. “It’s a shame war confines one’s chances of befriending people they could have benefited from,” he sighed.

Ying-tai kept quiet for a while then raised his head up. He looked at his celebrating men and his stern expression relaxed. He turned to Huian and Xia. “Don’t break in spirit. We still have far to go on our journey. Tell our men to prepare for our upcoming campaign: to siege Shouchun.”