Victory

"Who said the Demon Race army was strong?" Roger, the vice-banner chief, looked proudly at the elite Demon Race troops retreating like a tide at the foot of the mountain. "It seems I'm a bit stronger."

Shirakawa, the other auxiliary samurai, gave him a look and ignored him.

Chuan, the third Deputy Banner Lord, said leisurely, "Didn't someone say a couple of days ago that we were doomed this time and should all run for our lives?"

"I hate people who shake the morale of the army on the battlefield the most!" Roger said indignantly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. "If I catch him, I'll execute him!"

"You have amnesia! I'm talking about you, someone!"

"Heh, when did I ever say such a thing?" He turned to Shirakawa. "Someone is talking about you, aren't they?"

Shirakawa watched the two rivals attack each other with cold eyes, then turned her horse. "I'll go see if the Commander has any instructions."

Twenty thousand black-clothed cavalry stood silently in formation on the high ridge, but not a whisper could be heard. Only the distant, faint clamor of the retreating Demon Race army and the low hum of the wind sweeping across the Hengchuan Plain could be heard, like the lingering souls of the fallen who refused to leave their final resting place.

A general in full silver armor stood tall at the very peak of the ridge. His figure was tall and imposing, his upright posture exuding the unique majesty of a supreme commander. The setting sun shone on his silver armor, emitting a brilliant radiance that made him stand out like a god amidst the dark mass of cavalry. Anyone who saw his signature silver armor would know he was Zichuan Xiu, the youngest and most legendary of the "Three Great Young Generals of the Zichuan Family."

Shirakawa sighed silently when she saw this figure, admired by the entire Far East Army, from a distance.

She rode her horse closer to this "Zichuan Xiu" and, seeing that the surrounding guards were all members of the personal guard, said softly, "Gurei, how dare you! You're impersonating the Commander by wearing his armor!"

"Zichuan Xiu" (Captain Gurei of the Guard) said with a mournful face, "Officer Shirakawa, your subordinate didn't want to. It's just that the Commander insisted I stand here like this, unable to move… It's so heavy, I'm exhausted. I've already crushed three warhorses…"

"The battle is fierce, what did the Commander go to do?"

Gurei replied, "He just took a bath in the back mountain, had a barbecue, and is now in bed sleeping."

"Did he leave any instructions?"

Gurei said, "Oh, yes, he did. He said if we lose, I should hurry and wake him up so we can run for our lives together."

Shirakawa found Zichuan Xiu's tent under the shade of the trees in the back mountain. He was sleeping soundly wrapped in his sleeping bag, emitting rhythmic snores: "Hoo—lu, hoo—lu!"

Shirakawa said, "Commander, wake up, wake up…"

The person in the sleeping bag didn't move.

Shirakawa sighed. "Commander, you're forcing me…"

She turned, went out, and came back with a bottle of hot water. "I'll count to one, two, three!"

"Ah, don't pour it, don't pour it, I'm awake."

A head emerged from the sleeping bag, eyes groggy, face full of sleepiness—a very handsome young man, or rather, a boy—judging by the childish smile on his face.

Zichuan Xiu asked, "What's so important? Did the Demon Race attack?"

Shirakawa replied, "…Not yet."

"Did the soldiers mutiny?"

Shirakawa said, "That will happen sooner or later, once they realize you fooled them with a dummy…"

Zichuan Xiu said, "Let them argue first—those soldiers are really nitpicky about such small matters. So, did Roger and Chuan duel for you and both die?"

"Unfortunately, Commander, they are both shamelessly alive. The situation is, we won, and the Demon Race army is retreating."

Zichuan Xiu looked surprised. "Ah, that's unexpected. We actually won?" He retracted his head into the sleeping bag. "Let me think about it for a while."

Shirakawa waited patiently, and waited, and waited… until snores came from the sleeping bag again: "Hoo—lu, hoo—lu."

Then, she could no longer tolerate it and poured the hot water in her hand…

"Aiya!"

In Imperial Year 778, the victor of the Third Hengchuan Campaign let out a scream that would absolutely not be recorded in history…

******

The following is not part of the main text and will not be charged for. Brother Pig will advertise a bit:

"Zichuan," "Mercenary World," and "Blasphemy" have partnered to create an XYZ game. The third closed beta test has concluded. The non-deletion internal beta test will begin soon—May 6, 2008, at 6:00 PM.

Players who need to register can do so through this link.

It should be noted that this game has no client; it is a web game. After entering the game, you will become a noble (you can choose one of three countries) and own your first small village.

As you progress in the game, you can continuously obtain resources by building farms, mines, etc. Selling resources will earn you gold coins, which can be used to upgrade technology, recruit soldiers, and build more cities.

The other two evil countries (Blasphemy and Mercenary World @_@) will have their nobles constantly send troops to attack you—of course, you might also be constantly attacking them, hehe.

In the game, you can also cultivate your own heroes, establish guilds, run dungeons, and so on.

The biggest advantage of this type of game is that it doesn't take up much time. You can play it during work hours, and even when you're offline, resources are still being produced in the game.

Interested friends can go play. I hope the Zichuan Empire will be strong!

Brother Pig