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Legend of Zhen Ji
A Dynasty Warriors fanfic
By: Ninja Gaijin
***
PART 3: Spoils of War
Yuan Tan’s army camp, hill south of Youzhou, early evening
A marching army, like Yuan Tan’s contingent, is also a business opportunity. There were shrewd souls keen to grab the chance for profit from meeting the needs of a large, concentrated body of soldiers. These camp-followers consist of various entrepreneurs offering their services to the soldiers. There were blacksmiths offering to fix and sharpen weapons; hunters selling game for those bored with military rations; pedlars hawking various wares; amateur doctors and medicine sellers making a killing among the wounded and sick.
And there were those whose services cater to the corporeal needs of men. As the night approaches and the soldiers retire from action, these providers of carnal entertainment would turn up at the camp fringes, looking for those who want to forget this afternoon’s carnage with a quick fuck. Their success usually depended on the army morale; winners were usually more generous and more in the mood to celebrate. Another factor to be considered in the prospects of whoring for armies is the level of discipline. Very disciplined elite units or units under a strict commander were bad for business; these guys almost never bother with fun while on duty.
As the sun sets, one company of five camp-follower harlots entered Yuan Tan’s camp. They immediately attracted attention with their gaudy clothes and painted faces. The soldiers started to flock around the prostitutes. Some soldiers were already trying to bargain with some of the women. However, before any deal was done, one of the women, a plump lady in her late thirties, announced that they would like to see someone of rank first.
Bian Lian, the plump woman, was the madam, and she had been following Yuan Tan’s army ever since they departed from their base at Pingyuan. Wherever the army stopped to camp, Bian Lian would visit them, bringing some prostitutes for business. Some of her whores were her regular employees. Others were recruited from nearby brothels or the local female population. In those times of poverty and uncertainty, she found that many peasant women could be persuaded to become part-time whores. Of course, her line of business did not offer the best of working conditions and she was always forced to make do with what big-city brothels have no use of: the older and plainer ones, who would be outcompeted by better-looking ladies in a regular market. But out there, where there was no competition, even these women could still bring cash in. Soldiers on duty weren’t that choosy either. Of course, just to make sure that her wenches would still look desirable, Bian Lian made them wear showy dresses and thick makeup.
The madam made her way to a large tent, the officer’s tent. Outside the tent, stood the older of the Lu brothers, Lu Kuang. The burly officer grinned as he saw Bian Lian approaching.
“How do you do, Officer Lu? May I offer you the company of my girls for tonight?” Bian Lian got straight to the point.
“Pah!” blurted Lu Kuang, “How’d I know ya won’t send someone ugly like that pig-faced one from last time?”
Bian Lian just sported a silly grin. “Sorry about her. I’ve been having trouble finding good-looking girls from around here.”
“Ya just don’t know where to look, woman. But I don’t think we’ll be needin’ yer wenches tonight. We’ve just captured two pretty birds this afternoon.”
“Oh?” The scoop caught Bian Lian’s interest. “And who would these be?”
“Me boss’s sister-in-law an’ her serving-wench. Apparently her hubbie’s too pussy to face us in combat so he sent his missus to see us while he wets his own pants. Ya know Li Dian, that serious bloke who always refused yer sluts? Turns out he’s a friggin’ genius. He came up with some funky plan an’ managed to trap the enemy troops. We had a great afternoon slaughterin’ them. Those two lasses hit hard but they’re no match for us. Now we got ‘em tied up back there.”
“Really?” Bian Lian mumbled, “What do you plan to do with them, Officer Lu?”
“Well if ya ask me,” Lu Kuang said, “Me balls’ been itchin’ since this morning, an’ these two could do something ‘bout it. Dunno ‘bout the boss, tho’. Maybe he’s got other plans for that sister-in-law of his. I won’t be surprised if he said she’s off-limits. As long as I can still do the other bitch, I don’t mind that.”
“Can I see them?” Bian Lian asked.
“Sure, why not? I was just gonna check on ‘em anyway. C’mon.”
Bian Lian and Lu Kuang left. Elsewhere, Bian Lian’s harlots had worked out a deal with the soldiers and their working night had just begun. Given that there were only four of them, it would be a long night for each.
*****
Some time earlier, Niu Qing was feeling glad that their captors seemed civil. After she and Lady Zhen had been taken to the camp, Li Dian and his men took over. A doctor tended the wound she received before, caused by Yuan Tan’s arrow on her shoulder. And although the two were still bound as before, they had not been treated discourteously. Li Dian’s men even gave her some meatbuns and released one of her arms from bondage in order for her to eat them and feed Lady Zhen. She repaid their courtesy by promising not to try to escape while she was unbound.
Around sunset, a scout returned to camp and reported that the enemy had been calling reinforcements from the north, and these will arrive sometime tomorrow. After a brief discussion among the officers, Yuan Tan ordered Li Dian and his veterans (now about 450 men or so) to move by nightfall, to intercept enemy reinforcements before they could meet the city defenders.
And suddenly, with Li Dian’s departure, Niu Qing began to feel very worried.
The two lady warriors had been bound to two poles inside a large tent for some time, in a sitting position. Nobody came to see them for some time, and Lady Zhen had been exhausted from all the action before, so she drifted off to sleep. Niu Qing on the other hand kept watch of the situation, and she saw Li Dian’s men exchange guarding posts with Lu Kuang’s men outside the tent.
From the earlier battle, Niu Qing knew Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang’s men were not better warriors than Li Dian’s men, but they’re certainly more rowdy. Back then, she could see the lust in their eyes and their drooling mouths when they realize they were fighting two women. Besides, she had heard from the scouts about what they had been doing along the way.
Niu Qing glanced sideways and saw her lady—her little sister-in-law—sleeping peacefully, her beautiful head drooping forward. After they had been given food by Li Dian’s men, Niu Qing was bound again. Now she was trying to get out of the bondage. She squirmed and wriggled, looking for a weak spot to slip her arms out, but to no avail. Apparently Li Dian’s men knew how to tie people up properly. A spark of anxiety emerged and grew within Niu Qing. She knew the Lu brothers’ men, former bandits and rogues, would not be as respectful as Li Dian’s men, so she should get herself and her lady out of there quickly. She didn’t dare imagine what dishonourable things those thugs might do to her, or worse, to her beloved mistress.
Niu Qing saw lights and heard some commotion outside the prison tent. Someone’s coming—someone important…
*****
Lu Kuang, Lu Xiang, and Yuan Tan went up to check on their prisoners, with madam Bian Lian tagging along. The officers paid no attention to the procuress; they were focused to their captives only, and each of them had been gathering ideas of what to do with the ladies. From their grinning faces, one could only guess what mischievous things they had come up with.
Lu KuangAccompanied by some soldiers, the three officers entered the prison tent. The soldiers lit a torch inside the tent so that Yuan Tan and company may inspect the faces of the enemies they had defeated that day.
Lu XiangOn their left was Niu Qing. Although she was low-born, it would be unfair to consider her as plain-looking or even ugly. She was quite tall for a Chinese woman of that era. She was still wearing her clothes from that afternoon, yellow shirt and pants, but her light armour vest had been taken off by Li Dian’s men. Her shirt had bloodstains in various places, and its right shoulder was torn open, revealing a bandaged wound. Underneath her outfit were a slim, athletic body and long legs. Earlier in battle, her helmet was knocked off by Lu Kuang’s attack, and her hair was also undone. Her long black hair hung all the way down to her waist. Among her dark tresses was her comely face. Although she did not show it at the moment, Niu Qing had an attractive, teasing smile, which years ago had stolen Lady Zhen’s older brother’s heart.
Although the Lu brothers and Bian Lian inspected Niu Qing’s looks with great interest, Yuan Tan only glanced at the maidservant for a moment. His thought centred on the other woman, the more beautiful of the two. Lady Zhen was still sleeping and did not notice the visitors. Yuan Tan squatted and reached his sister-in-law’s chin, and lifted her sleeping face so he could see it clearly.
Yuan Tan felt powder sticking to his fingers. No wonder; due to Niu Qing’s habit of tarting up Lady Zhen for *any* occasion, apparently she had been made up to look glamorous as usual for that afternoon’s agenda, which included a little diplomatic talk and quite a few combat sessions. Sweat, wind, and dust had smeared it a little, but for the most part Niu Qing’s work of art retained its elegance. Yuan Tan can’t help but admire her lush cheeks, her perfect curving brows, her cute nose, her long lashes, her tempting red lips, and her beauty spot under her left eye; were her eyes open, Yuan Tan would sing praises to their beauty too. Her hair was up in a bun decorated with a small bird-shaped ornament, and a few hanging strands indicated that it would go down to her back if unbound. Her milky-white complexion made her face and neck look striking in contrast with her jet black hair. Her graceful neckline disappears underneath the yellow hem of her battle jacket, which was also an inside-out armour suit with jade tiles sewn underneath. The jacket covers her torso down to her hips, and her upper arms, and underneath it she wore a long-sleeved shirt which was tightened around her forearms with straps for unhindered movement. From the waist down hung a long flowing skirt, quite an awkward piece of clothing for someone fighting, but the skirt was slit in one side, revealing a pair of close-fitting breeches. However, Yuan Tan was more curious about what was beneath all those garments.
Yuan Tan gritted his teeth as he thought that his weak younger brother Yuan Xi would be more familiar with the figure hidden under those clothes. It could have been himself. It should have been himself. He recalled the events of years ago, when his father, the late Yuan Shao, took he and his brothers to inspect the work of an official named Zhen Yi. There had always been some sibling rivalry among him and his brothers, but it culminated around the time Zhen Yi’s daughter appeared to greet the noble visitors and poured wine for them. He had been so infatuated with Zhen Yi’s daughter that he planned to ask her father to have her for his wife, but his third brother Yuan Shang had the same idea! He had asked Yuan Shang to back off but that annoying little brat was too pig-headed for his own good. In the following weeks, the discord escalated up to the point where he was willing to fight Yuan Shang to the death over that woman, and vice versa. And his old man intervened in the most unwise manner—by giving her to Yuan Xi.
After that, years have passed, his old man expired, and parts of the Yuans’ domain had been overran by Cao Cao, and now he found himself allied to Cao Cao, the man who had frustrated his father to death, just so he can get back at his brothers… But deep inside, Yuan Tan would rather be under nobody’s thumb, and just like his father he wanted power and territory. Secretly he planned that as soon as he wiped out his brothers, he would get back at Cao Cao and drive him away from Yuan territories, and even take Cao Cao’s realm. Soon…
The first step would be to make Yuan Xi submit, and take Youzhou and all its resources.
Including this one, the beautiful girl that had enchanted him back then at Zhen Yi’s place, then given to an unworthy man, and finally in his hands now, as his captive.
“Wakey wakey,” Yuan Tan shook Lady Zhen’s body, trying to wake her up.
*****
The first thing Lady Zhen saw right after she awaked was Yuan Tan’s face right in front of hers.
She looked round, and saw a burly, moustached man with lazy eyes in military outfit—Lu Kuang—and another man who looked like Lu Kuang, but with a more sinister expression and smaller build—Lu Xiang—and a dumpy woman with too much makeup in a tacky dress—who is she?—and lots of soldiers—and when she looked to her right side, Niu Qing.
“Brother-in-law Yuan Tan,” she muttered.
“Ah, you’re awake. Had a nice sleep?” Yuan Tan tried to sound friendly. “Guards. Release her from those ropes.”
Two men stepped forward and freed Lady Zhen from bondage. Some others brought chairs in; three for the officers, one for Lady Zhen. Yuan Tan offered her to sit, but Lady Zhen uttered a demand first.
“Please untie her.” She gestured towards Niu Qing, still bound to the tent pole.
Yuan Tan smiled. “Anything you want, my dear sister-in-law,” and he ordered his men to free Niu Qing too. Niu Qing felt relieved to be able to move freely again, but several armed soldiers immediately stood by her, ready to react if she tried anything suspicious.
After seeing Niu Qing unbound, Lady Zhen sat on the offered chair, anxiously.
“Why do you do this, brother-in-law?” she asked calmly, “Why do you attack us?”
“Well, because you guys didn’t just give in to my earlier demands,” Yuan Tan said matter-of-factly. “If you would just surrender Youzhou we wouldn’t have to do this.”
“I have discussed the matter with my husband,” Lady Zhen said, “As it goes, we cannot agree with your submission to Prime Minister Cao Cao. And if we were to join forces to you, it would be to fight Cao Cao, not third brother Yuan Shang as you had proposed.”
“You still trust my sissy brother’s judgment?” Yuan Tan replied, “I’m surprised that you would stand up for him. I mean, what good is he?”
Lady Zhen could not answer straight away. Yuan Tan’s remark hit the spot. But she decided to keep the proper attitude.
“…Please do not speak ill of your brother like that.”
Yuan Tan laughed. “Why shouldn’t I? Xi deserved it! And, to tell you the truth, I am more surprised that you would defend him like that.”
He paused for a while, stood from his chair, and walked towards Lady Zhen’s position.
“Listen. I don’t care at all about Xi. For me it matters not whether he’s alive or dead, as long as he doesn’t get in the way. What I want is Youzhou and the 10.000-men border troops stationed there. A contingent of Cao Cao’s soldiers will arrive here in a few days’ time, and by then we would march to Youzhou and take it. If Xi’s smart, he should not try to resist. In any case, Youzhou’s already mine.”
“If my husband is of no importance to you, then what do you want with me?”
“What do I want with you? Shouldn’t it be obvious?”
“What should be obvious?”
“Silly woman. I want you, of course! I’ve wanted you since I first saw you years ago at your father’s place. Too bad my old man came up with that stupid arrangement. Xi isn’t good enough for you!”
“…” Lady Zhen could not say anything. What Yuan Tan said was true. However, she did not fancy the prospect to be Yuan Tan’s woman either.
“Please do not suggest such improper things…” she whispered meekly. “People knew me as Lord Yuan Xi’s wife. It would tarnish my and your honour if you were to take me, you own sister-in-law, away from your own brother, forcefully.”
“Screw that. Why are you fussing over stupid things? Just be mine and I will build an entire kingdom for you. But, in case you didn’t realize, you’re my prisoner now, and I can do anything I want to you.”
“Brother-in-law, I beg you, please. Will you not consider my own feelings? I am not anyone’s property! You can’t force me!”
“I don’t want to force you either,” as Yuan Tan continued to talk, his hand reached for Lady Zhen’s face, going towards her chin, “I’ll see if I can persua—“
SLAP! Lady Zhen swatted Yuan Tan’s hand away.
“Please don’t touch me,” she said coldly.
Yuan Tan’s ego was of the sensitive type, and that slap quickly ignited flames of rage within him.
Lady Zhen was also irritated by Yuan Tan’s impertinence. Earlier, she would have been able to discuss things coolly with her captor, but now a spark of temper had fuelled her defiance.
“Not very cooperative, aren’t we,” Yuan Tan smirked and gestured. Two soldiers immediately positioned themselves at Lady Zhen’s sides, ready to seize her on command, but Yuan Tan ordered them to stop there.
At the same time, Niu Qing was startled by the sound of the slap. She had been in full alert, but she was still surrounded by soldiers. She made a quick assessment of the situation in her head. Besides Yuan Tan, the Lu brothers, and that unknown woman, there were about 20 soldiers in the tent and definitely more outside. She considered alternative actions to take if their captors try to do anything she wouldn’t want to happen.
“Have you no shame, brother-in-law?” Lady Zhen, piqued by Yuan Tan’s slight, for a moment forgot about her disadvantageous situation and tried to chastise Yuan Tan. “You should know better than to lay your hands upon a married woman without her consent. Would a nobleman like you do such despicable things? I will not accept this.”
As she observed the proceedings, Niu Qing felt like chastising Lady Zhen herself. She knew her lady well—and one of Lady Zhen’s idiosyncrasies were her strict insistence on manners. Sure, in normal conditions, it would be okay to scold a maidservant over say a forgotten gesture of respect, but there and that time was not a good place to make a big deal about it, and Niu Qing feared that it would only provoke Yuan Tan further.
And provoke Yuan Tan it did. People say that Yuan Tan’s a bit of a bastard; that was the reason Yuan Shao preferred his third son, the brave and resourceful Yuan Shang, to be his successor. Yuan Shao knew his firstborn son’s tendency to be impulsive and cruel too well.
One could almost hear Yuan Tan and Lady Zhen’s egos crashing against each other in the tent.
“Bitch,” Yuan Tan spat. “Seize her!”
The command was given to the soldiers at Lady Zhen’s sides—but another person reacted first. Niu Qing immediately sprang high up into the air, escaping the soldiers surrounding her by leaping above their heads, and as she went back down, she attempted a drop kick to Yuan Tan’s head. Everyone around had been too shocked by her sudden acrobatics and none were quick enough to prevent the back of her foot crashing onto Yuan Tan’s head. Yuan Tan went down immediately, face first to the ground. Without stopping, Niu Qing darted to Lady Zhen, and with a flying split kick knocked the two soldiers on her sides away. She immediately pulled Lady Zhen away from the crowd, putting the lady behind her as she backed to the corner of the tent. Lady Zhen, who had been as surprised as everybody else by Niu Qing’s unexpected movements, quickly got her bearings and tried to act her part. She wasn’t very sure what Niu Qing was trying to achieve, but she understood that they will have to find a way out.
“Slip out of the tent. I’ll hold them back,” Niu Qing said without looking at Lady Zhen while assuming a fighter’s stance. The noblewoman hesitated; she saw Lu Kuang, Lu Xiang and the soldiers charging towards them.
“Go!” Niu Qing yelled as she met the attacking Lu Kuang with a powerful kick. Lady Zhen scurried away, trying to exit the tent. She managed to slip under the heavy tarpaulin as Niu Qing desperately tried to beat back anyone attempting to seize them.
Lady Zhen found herself outside the tent. However, the commotion in the prison tent had attracted the attention of more soldiers, and immediately she saw a group of soldiers running towards her. She ran towards the opposite direction, trying to find a way out, but she was practically in the middle of the enemy camp, so she could only see Yuan Tan’s soldiers everywhere. In the end, she found herself encircled by soldiers. She was about to charge through them when she heard someone yell at her.
“Surrender, milady, or this woman’s dead!”
She turned and saw Lu Xiang holding Niu Qing by her hair, forcing her to kneel. They were positioned besides a lit torch, so Lady Zhen could see blood trickling from Niu Qing’s mouth. If she were closer she might have seen bruises on Niu Qing’s face. It seemed that she had been overpowered and beaten by the enemy.
“Please get out of here… milady!” Niu Qing managed a scream. But Lady Zhen had nowhere to go. She was completely surrounded.
From behind Lu Xiang, the figure of Yuan Tan appeared. Apart from a huge lump on his head, he was not badly hurt by Niu Qing’s surprise attack. His expression clearly revealed that he was pissed. He walked hastily to Lu Xiang and Niu Qing, and as he faced Niu Qing, he kicked her in the gut right away. Niu Qing yelped in pain and collapsed forward, but she was kept from falling by Lu Xiang’s grasp.
“That hurts you witch!” Yuan Tan snapped at her.
“Qing!” Lady Zhen wanted to rush towards Niu Qing and comfort her, but Yuan Tan was already in front of her. He seemed to have got his composure knocked out of his head by Niu Qing’s nasty kick, as he had no qualms about delivering a hard slap across Lady Zhen’s face then. The lady screamed and fell in the direction of the slap, totally unprepared for a most ungentlemanly gesture from her brother-in-law.
Two soldiers immediately took Lady Zhen’s arms and restrained her.
“Next time don’t EVER try something like that again,” Yuan Tan snarled. He gave out several orders, and then the two women were dragged to a large yard right in the middle of the camp. Several torches had been lit there. There were some flagpoles and standing spears.
Niu Qing, still reeling from Yuan Tan’s kick, had her wrists bound while she was forced to kneel. She was led to some kind of frame—a pair of posts linked by a crossbar. When she got between the posts, her bound wrists were tied to the crossbar above, while her legs were secured to each of the posts, so she was forced to stand with her legs spread and her hands hanging above her head.
Yuan Tan walked towards her, inspecting his bound prisoner. After that, he cussed and punched her in the stomach.
“Bitch!”
“Oough!” Niu Qing groaned as she threw up. Seeing the abuse, Lady Zhen let out a short scream.
“Don’t you ever think of doing that again to me. I’ll make sure you learn your lesson. Lu Kuang!”
“Yessir!” Lu Kuang showed up, carrying a slender stick he just broke off a nearby tree. He had guessed what his orders would be.
“Give her twenty.”
“With pleasure, sir!” and Lu Kuang struck her back twice with the stick. One. Two.
Surprisingly, Niu Qing took it without screaming. Instead, she glared defiantly towards Yuan Tan.
“Lu Kuang!” Yuan Tan bellowed. “Are you stupid? How would she feel that?”
“Well boss… then we’d have to…?” Lu Kuang, uncertain.
“Get her shirt off, you twit!”
Niu Qing struggled as she saw Lu Kuang coming back, but she could not do anything about it. Lu Kuang grabbed the backside of her shirt and tore it apart, and Niu Qing’s back came out into view. The rest of her shirt still clung to her body, suspended by her sleeves.
Lu Kuang resumed the punishment, slashing and striking Niu Qing’s bare back. The maidservant still took it all without emitting any sound. On the other hand, Lady Zhen gasped every time a blow landed on Niu Qing.
Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
“Tough one, aren’t you? Let’s see if we try other places. Lu Kuang! Take off the whole shirt! And strike her front!”
This time, Niu Qing flinched a bit. Lu Kuang roughly grabbed the remaining front part of her shirt and tore it off.
“Ya surely lookin’ good ‘ere,” Lu Kuang grinned as he inspected Niu Qing’s exposed upper body. Her breasts were not big but they were certainly attractive. Her nipples pointed slightly upwards, standing proudly on her chest.
“Ahh.”
And with two strikes of the stick, Lu Kuang punished Niu Qing’s nipples. Niu Qing whimpered a little, surprised by the sudden pain.
She had received ten strokes. Ten more to go. Lu Kuang came up to her and whispered to her ear.
“Tell ya what, missy,” he said, “I could ask the boss to let ya go, if you can keep me company tonight.”
Niu Qing only answered him with an angry glare.
“Suit yerself,” Lu Kuang shrugged and continued Niu Qing’s caning. Five more strikes landed on her chest, but she had recovered her resolve and she did not utter a single moan or cry.
On the other hand, Lady Zhen could not bear to see her closest person being treated like that. She yelled and cried “Stop!” and “No more!” on each strike. But she could not do anything. She could not even find the strength to break free from the soldiers who restrained her. Yuan Tan saw her distress and said, “If you want me to stop it, just say that you will agree to my demands.”
“So how’s it gonna be?” Yuan Tan asked again, seeing hesitation on his sister-in-law’s face. He didn’t wait for her answer. “Continue, Lu Kuang!”
For the last five blows, Lu Kuang struck as hard as he could, until the stick broke at the final strike. Niu Qing only whimpered. Her upper body were covered in red weals from Lu Kuang’s strikes. Her face was also red with humiliation and anger.
“Niu Qing!” Niu Qing heard her lady screamed and sobbed. Lady Zhen was in tears after she saw her maidservant’s condition. She so wanted to run to Niu Qing and comfort her, but she’s being held tight by Yuan Tan’s uncompromising soldiers. Niu Qing looked at her, trying to smile as if she wanted to say “I am all right, milady.”
Yuan Tan walked to the bound Niu Qing and taunted her. “Know your place, woman,” he said, “And don’t defy me. I, Yuan Tan, shall do what I want, as I please.”
Niu Qing felt the urge to spit on Yuan Tan’s face but she tried hard to not actually do it, fearing that if she did so, Yuan Tan would use it as pretence to harm Lady Zhen.
Lady Zhen“What now, boss?” Lu Kuang asked Yuan Tan.
“I don’t know, actually,” Yuan Tan answered, “I have no more use for this woman. Do what you want with her.”
-----
...UNFINISHED
-Pertama kali terbit di adultfanfiction, 30 Jul 2007
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