"I marched in the camp for the conquest of Wei. Nothing important, a sculler, and I made a name for myself in the scouts. Good eyes, keen mind, and a strong swimmer." Lion began, he drank deeply from the bottle of khumis he had brewed and relaxed against the log he had rolled into place by the fire. Taking advantage of the peaceful night to unwind. He scratched the chest of the puppy who had laid down in his lap. His eyes looked far away as he looked over to the younger attendants.
"I was your age, or maybe a bit younger. But that didn't matter when you are *His* son." Perhaps a note of bitterness in the mention, but undeniable pride.
"We had reconnoittered the rivers leading to Daliang. Counted their boats, but most especially the defenses. I remember, it had been the first time I had ever seen a city. What a magnificent city it had been as well." Lion smirked, shook his head an all too pleased grin curled on his chin.
"It was an impregnable fortress. The complex systems of raised bridges, canals, and five immense gates. Truly that city would never fall. Not even in one thousand years of beseiging it."
Lion scratched a surprisingly skillful drawing of the cities gates and canals. And then hills, he made great emphasis of the Yellow River.
"It fell in 26 days. And it was my idea that took it." Lion smirked, there was a keen ruthlessness in that. His tone of voice had supreme confidence in his claim. It also boasted he did not care if they believed him. Between the Yellow River and the canal he scratched a deep gouge into the dirt.
"Oh sure they flogged me for speaking to the general in terms of strategy. But when seeing the genius in my suggestion he set the sappers to work within the hour."
"Just two years later I killed my first man. Leung Yu, the nephew of Xiang Yu. He was my age, and favored by Guan Yu." Mentioning the deity and Lion subconsciously touched the bow which lay on the log next to him.
"It took me my entire quiver to unhorse him." He was incredulous at that, and also sounded amazed.
"Even still he very nearly killed me, with three of my arrows inside him."
Lion had taken his armor off, and revealed under his shirt a deep scar on his left pectoral muscle.
"We fought across a forest and up a hill. Eventually, I managed to catch his footing, tied him with my meteor hammer and crushed his skull." Lion chuckled at the memory.
"Even hear an overripe melon hit the ground falling from a high table." He asked rhetorically and mimicked the sound by puffing air through his pursed lips. It produced a wet, almost pulpy squishing sound.
"I rode straight back to camp with his corpse and horse. But damn she was a magnificent steed. Pity though..."
He trailed off, grimacing, almost snarling at the memory.
"In Linzi, our seige fell apart, our supplyline was cut, and my Flying Column was trapped in a snow storm. After five days of no food and only snow to drink White Raven collapsed. She died the next day. All our horses did. The column had no time to bury them either. So we ate them."
"Worst part of it is that the very next day, we came through the storm and Linzi had surrendered without a drop of blood spilled."
The memory had brought a darkness to Lion's countenance. He lifted the khumis to his lips, and proceeded to get drunk in silence afterwards. It was more than he had said in ten days. It explained two things:
The first was why he was so damn angry.
The second was why someone as young as he was had an an epithet that named him a "Pillar of Our Land."
The Fu Dog in his lap snored loudly and turned its face into the shelter of Lion's groin.
Last edited February 13, 2026 10:14 am
