Hold Out Part 2 (Quest) [Open]

[exiled]

// Going to keep this open to other people to join if they wish and of course it'd make my life a hell of a lot easier. However currently I believe it is only me and my forces for the defence of the city. I would like to request a map with likely enemy locations so I can figure out what I can actually do before I begin the battle and place my troops =]

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"What do you mean they are amassing troops!? and why the hell isn't Yuan Shao dealing with this situation like he should be?"

Xu Shu was understandably annoyed. He had been here for diplomatic reasons, trying to strike up the friendship his lord and Yuan Shao shared when they were growing up. Tensions had been a growing problem in such times with every regioal lord vying for power and dominance and a shot of diplomacy and relationship building was vital for the central plains and the north if they were ever to coincide under Han rule once the rebels were dealt with.

"I do not know sir, it is believed the lord of the region has sent out too many troops to help repel the Yellow Turbans near the Han capital to launch a proper defence of his own lands. These troops seem far more concerned about their own pockets than helping their master Zhang Jiao, so seek smaller targets..."

Nodding with a lack of enthusiasm for the situation, Xu Shu was always defiant in the face of danger and soon he smiled and a gleam of hope shon out for the villagers who so needed a hero. His troops perked up at the sight as they all stod out in the marketplace, the only viable area for his forces to amass properly.

"Very well, I will defend his lands for him under the banner of our Lord Cao Cao. It will only prove beneficial for our lord when we repel these rebels once more. But first of all captain, seek me the finest men in this village to take up arms with me. I want to know the lay of the land, where they will most likely arrive from and certainly what we have at our disposal. Shut the gates and prepare the defences."

He was a leader of men, to the point but open to risks, calm but determined and sharper than a unsheathed sword. The captain bowed and left the area, calling a few of Xu Shu's men with him to help in the search for able bodied men to help with the defence of the city, vital with such small numbers on Shu's side.

- - - - -

Speed and organisation were the keys to the next few phases of his plans. Xu Shu knew only too well that a firm defence, whilst not in the grand plans the perfect situation to be in, often proved a situation of much benefit, especially against such unorganised men and troops. He relayed his orders to his captains, all of which scattered to various places of interest with various numbers of men for the job. None were left spare.

He smiled, not out of pure confidence but out of pleasure to have such fine men amongst his army. He was proud to have them in his forces as they worked on, never slipping on their tasks, knowing that any detail leftout may likely wind up to be one of their deaths

Out of all the tasks he was giving out one struck him as vital and he paced around the market place in a line, before turning on his heel and moving back down, all the time speaking loud for all the newcomers to hear, indeed these were the villagers whom had been sought out as men of talent and body.

"You men are young, strong, ablebodied. You do not have the training of a soldier, nor the trained mind, however without your help you and your loved ones will never see the light of day in the coming hours. Weapons lie around the village, in your homes, in your gardens, these will be what saves you and your family, friends and whoever else you hold dear."

Xu Shu spoke the truth and nothing but, he did not try and give them false hope or promises, but elsewhere other things were occuring worth noting. In particular of note comes with the gates of the village, barred shut and already being reinforced with whatever material on offer. Whilst some men took a hammer to some unnecessary walls from various structures inside the village, others hammered on extra wood to both the overall structure of the gates and even wedges for the bottoms, adding even more support. Now what stopped the enemy would be an array of wooden defences, bricks and wedges all ready to stop the gates from faling easily.

"You want to listen carefully and well when the captains shout orders, these are life or death moments where you must act quickly and assured. If he shouts defensive withdrawl, make sure you do as he says and withdraw facing the enemy with your weapons ready. Work as a team and nothing but, each mistake leads only to more problems and more deaths."

Once more back in the marketplace Xu Shu was busy giving the men whatever tips he could to untrained individuals. The chances of them surpassing his own troops were extremely unlikely but his help and his guidance would surely pay dividence, as he transformed this bunch of men soon to be armed with pitchforks, cleavers and maybe the odd sword, spear or crossbow into able men, potentially able to meet the yellow turbans forces man for man or even better, especially with the psychological edge of what they may lose if they do not perform on their minds.

- - - - -

Some time later Xu Shu was atop the walls, casting his eyes over the landscape, making his away around the entire 360 degree viewing points and checking everything noteworthy within and around the village for any other tactical advantages. He realised his problem was no longer about his men's ability, it would be about numbers and how he would have to micromanage his army. The walls were a target for ladders, of which these rebels would more than likely have failing the use of a battering ram through his reinforced gates.

The walls offered great protection from bolts and arrows, meaning it may be a fine place to put his untrained conscripts with a few of his own men as moral and tactical support, however his mind pondered the idea intensely worrying about the sight of yellow they may see as something very much disconcerting.

"Walls will be guarded by small sections of our swordsmen and some of the conscripts who appear more... fragile, they will be able to guard the walls with some ease assuming the turbans have not invested heavily in ladders or towers in recent weeks."

A small joking comment from Xu Shu helped ease some tension with comic relief as the captain smiled and laughed. It was shortlived, the feeling of humour as the concentration of the task returned to both minds. A parting glance between the two as their minds for a brief moment connected left only one sentence in Xu Shu's mouth.

"Ready the troops, they will be arriving soon. I trust my other preperations have gone according to plan?"

- - - - -

Overview

- Xu Shu has potentially recruited many conscripts from the village (mod approval requested)
- After some time the gates have been barricaded, locked and reinforced heavily [If you want to be inside the city, post as if they were already there and we can work it out from there]
- Conscripts if availabe have been given basic understanding of tactical situations, formations and other requirements.
- Xu Shu has gained knowledge of the environment and plans to set up a counter to potential ladders with small units of trained and untrained men.
- Other plans will be shown in next post due to the already long length of this one... lol

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

I'll play Mod for the fight for the map and Yellow Turbans.

I'll add the Yellow Turban troops soon.

This is just a basic map idea I scratched up.

Map Key
The big grey square is the village.
The black lines around it are walls.
Light Brown lines are the gates.
The dark Brown squares in the village are archer towers.
The Yellow are the Yellow Turban units.
The light yellow squares are fields.
The blue is the river.
The greyish lines over the river are bridges.
The black lines with the 'Nan Pi' sign are the roads to Nan Pi.

Attachments:

[Cao Pi]

Why is this held in Nan Pi?

[Asa Khan]

I'll assist you if you need any help. It'll break my block of inactivity.

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The situation was terrible. Asa could barely believe that the Yellow Turbans would dare to attack a village without checking who was resting there. His sojourn in the small haven had been interrupted by these meddling peasants, and he would make sure every last one of them suffered for their ignorance. It was certain that his troops would not be bothered by this, as they had been led to the village without a word of reason, not uncommon from their unpredicatable commander.

At the eastern gate of the village, Asa had gathered his liutenants. They stood in contrast to the surrounding militiamen, if they were even of such experience; each was heavily armed and armoured, with ornate personal designs engraved on their equipment, whereas those scurrying about to get to the walls looked as though they could barely hold their weapons.

Turning from the scene, he told his officers, "Gather your men. We must defend this town. Take the archers to the northern and eastern walls, deploy the infantry outside the eastern gate."

Asa had seen other soldiers wandering around the town earlier in the day, evidently soldiers due to their equipment, some even bearing emblems. This was an opportunity which would assist greatly in the defense of the city. He placed his hand heavily on the shoulder of a nearby peasant with a resounding thud, startling him as he had never been before in his life. The peasant found himself very quickly and forcefully turned, facing a dark-skinned man in odd apparel, glaring at him, placing a coin in his shaking hand.

"Find the commander of the other military force in this town. Tell him that he does not stand alone against these scum, and that I will man the eastern and northern walls," he bellowed, before shoving the peasant lightly, to make him leave.

With a shrill whistle, the men departed, with Asa taking his place at the eastern gate, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his vigilant warriors.

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Royal Guards are deployed outside the eastern gate
Han archers are deployed along the north and east sections of the town's walls.
Asa Khan accompanies the Royal Guards.

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

The Yellow Turban rebels moved about the outskirts of the village and maintained a good distance. The group had split in two and circled like hungry dogs.

The group to the South was led by two brothers, one being near his late 30s and showed wisdom whilst the younger brother being in his mid 20s and still showed arrogance. The two leaders hovered at a distance before slowly making their way towards the Nan Pi road in hope of blocking any messengers from escaping the village.

The Northern group were being led by a young male in his early 20s who was still training to be a warrior but still displayed good leadership skills. He sent his troops towards the nearest field of crops to lurk in hiding until he could create a plan.


Yellow Turban Troops Numbers
South Group
2 Leaders
500 Cavalry
300 Swordsmen
500 Archers
500 Peasants
200 Spearmen

North Group
1 Leader
500 Cavalry
200 Swordsmen
600 Archers
500 Peasants
200 Spearmen

[Asa Khan]

The Yellow Turban force was truly a sight to behold; Not in skill, but in size. From a glance Asa could easily see that they outnumbered him. He had not expected such a horde to appear. In a scenario like this Asa would create a sectioned off area where only a single rank of soldiers could fight at a time. Luckily, the town gate would serve this function adequately, with a few dozen men at most being able to fight alongside. His men were far more skilled, and with the archers on the walls given cover, they would hopefully wither the Yellow Turban force down before they could make it over the walls.

Asa relayed the details of the plan to his commander, and bellowed, "Infantry, move inside the town and form up at the town gate. Do not yield a single inch to the enemy. They are weak and poorly equipped, and no match for the Han's finest!"

After the order was received by his soldiers, he quickly made his way into the town before the barrier of steel kept him out, and made his way onto the walls. To those stationed there he gave a very simple order.

"Archers, make ample use of the cover you have been provided with. I don't want any of you dying! As soon as the enemy are in range, open fire, and do not let them scale the walls under any circumstances. Cavalry are your priority, as they possess the force to break through the barrier below us. Ensure that none survive!"

Were the people of this area not aligned as he was, there would be no hesitation to burn the surrounding land down to the last crop. Unfortunately, if he were to do such a thing, starvation would become more dire a foe than the encroaching Yellow Turbans.

In a final move, he made his way back down to the ground and positioned himself directly behind the Royal Guards who had blocked the eastern entrance to the town. There were a considerable number of soldiers left, overflowing into the street, so he concluded they must be replaced. He pulled aside one of his liutenants and told him, "Take 100 of the men and go to the northern gate. Use the same tactic there."

He watched as the liutenant dragged a sizeable chunck of his troops through the streets. It was a disgrace that there had not been any forces sent to intervene by the governor of the land, but there were benefits of such a thing. Mainly glory.

Looking upon the ranks of steel-clad warriors he muttered, "the best way to win is not to be the attacker," with a devious smirk.

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200 Royal Guards block the eastern town gate
100 Royal Guards block the northern town gate
200 Han Archers are stationed on the north and east town walls.
Asa watches at the eastern gate.

[kaihime]

((OOC: Alright lets hope this thread comes back to life Kaihime is gonna enter via the roads to Nan PI, and she is alone -_- no troops yet but hey she can make a difference even if its small XD. I updated the image so i know where everyone is XD))



The sun was blaring down upon Kaihime with what seemed unimaginable heat. Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead she paused to take in her surroundings from the top of the slight hill she was upon. Before her she could see the village, she could see the northern gate. It was sealed tightly and she figured the rest of them would be too. She could make out figures moving along the top of the walls; archers. Then most shockingly a large troop of Yellow Turbans came into view heading straight towards her. They must be moving to secure the roads She looked around for a way out, she was skilled but even the most skilled warrior was no match for such a large troop alone. Seeing no other option Kaihime decided to make a break for the village walls. She had enough speed to outrun the enemy, they were only on foot no horses that she could see. Clutching her side ready herself for the inevitable pain that would ensue due to her injury and the sprint. If they give chase and follow me towards the walls they'll be putting themselves in range of the archers, so i doubt they'll do that. But you never know, they don't look the brightest Kaihime thought as she began the run towards safety. Hoping the archers wouldn't be foolish and shoot her down after mistaking her for an enemy. Not looking behind her as she ran towards the walls Kaihime was rapidly approaching safety.

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

The southern Yellow Turbans suddenly noticed movement at the road that connected the village to Nan Pi. "Hey... who's that?" One of the leaders asked the other, the other shook his head in thought. "Could be anyone. If we corner it then we can find out. Last thing we need is any messengers breaking through to call for back-up."

The army sprung into action as the cavalry was sent out to investigate the strange figure. They showed little sign of aggression and seemed more curious about it instead.

[kaihime]

The sounds of rapidly appraoching cavalry began to echo throughout the air as the hooves of their horses pounded against the hard ground. Damn where the heck were their cavalry hiding Kaihime knew they would catch her eventually but the closer she got the the walls of the village the more vunerable she would make them to archer fire. She continued to run ignoring the pain in her side and the horses rapidly approaching. Why are they interested in me anyway? a messenger would be heading out not in, and don't they realise they would be leaving themselves vunerable to archer fire? Wondering whether in fact the yellow turbans were as dumb as she had heard Kaihime pushed forward towards the walls of the village.

((OOC: hope everyone comes back XD or we will be the only ones -_-))

[Asa Khan]

It occurred to Asa that no messenger had been sent, by any of the officers or by the officials of the town. This had to be rectified immediately. After informing one of his nearby officers to keep things as they were, he made his way back inside the walls of the town grabbed a nearby peasant.

In a threatening tone, he bellowed, "Listen, man. Your service is required. Ride to the nearest city and inform them of a Yellow Turban raid. Be sure to tell them we are in dire need of aid as we are outnumbered." His voice lost its intimidating tone as he said, "you'll be compensated for this. I promise you."

With the orders given, he set off to the home of the leader of the town, returning shortly afterward with his armour stained with the blood of the official. It may not have been a lawful or wise endeavour, but the man did not carry out his duty, and had to be punished. Fortunately, the event was not witnessed by any other than a single militiaman who was promptly slaughtered to prevent any hindrance of Asa's return to defending the town. While the guilt of murdering an innocent man would weight heavily on him, it would have to wait until after the Yellow tide had stopped.

The number of strange looks directed toward Asa as he strode casually back to the gate was ridiculous, even as the town's militia and ragtag peasant volunteers went to their various places of defense. Even his own men looked at him with a wary curiosity.

Through the obvious worry and distrust sewn throughout the ranks by his appearance, it became obvious he would have to satisy the curiosity through a subtle lie.

He took his place on a crate, elevating him above his men and announced, "Men! A small group of yellow turban rebels had infiltrated the village, though there is nothing to worry about. They have been silenced; focus on the task at hand."

With that, he returned to the walls and ordered his archers to open fire on the enemy. Even arrows in the ground may slow the advance of an opponent.

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

The cavalry unit continued to chase after Kaihime and soon started to swarm around the girl. The men glanced and bickered towards her, none of them making much sense as they moved about and tried to get a good look at the girl. The distraction of Kaihime allowed the messenger sent by Asa Khan to sneak past without detection and soon enough the cavalry were sent into a mad panic as the arrows came flying and started to kill off the men and horses.

YT Losses
100 Cavalry

Attachments:

[exiled]

// Sorry for my absence, I had a lot of stuff to sort out and it made my muse disappear. Anyway onward with the quest ;]

- - - - -

Never the kind of man to give up, Xu Shu was a fighter, an inspiration. His mind was trained and focused on the task at hand, made even more remarkable by the time he had thus far spent, perfecting his tactics without a moments rest. Whilst outnumbered it seemed the village had their great advantage and edge with Cao Cao's most trusted strategist giving the people the hope they so desperatly needed and craved.

"Word arrives of aid to the north and east of the village's interior. Asa Khan has brought help with up to 400 additional men. He has pledged his forces to the north and east, whom as reported, are already stationed."

"Excellent, now the scales tip closer to our direction. Send a message to this Asa Khan telling of our gratitude."

Xu Shu responded with a concentrated smile, thankful, but not letting the good news dispel his thought processes of the defence. He had a lot to live up to and a lot to prove and to him this was the perfect opportunity and time to show just what he was capable of. He did not want to be known for taking risks, or doing fancy strategems, instead he was focused on each victory and doing the simple things, unless the extraordinary were absolute necessity.

The Wei Advisor was ready to continue checking up on the finer details of his defence when he was alerted to something else, shouts from atop the wall from some of his men. "Lord Xu shu. Yellow Turban sightings! Following someone. A woman." The reports came in short bursts of information as they peered and watched. Xu Shu took no time in running towards the walls, climbing the steps to gain the vantage point he needed.

"Get me rope, a ladder, or something else of the like at once." He ordered from atop the walls to one of his captain, whom passed the message on with haste.

Scattering to find something of help for their leader a large enough ladder was found. A problem soon arose however, the ladder being not quite large enough to be placed on the ground in the usual fashion like a siege ladder would, but that would not stop matters.

Xu Shu took the ladder as soon as it was brought up and with the help of one of his captains, carefully moved it over the top of the wall, clutching it tightly with his hand and leaning over. His call down the wall showed the ladder must weigh more than he expected and his words would alert the girl to that very ladder being the only hope of her making it into the village and not captured or killed by the rebels.

"My Lady, the gates are barricaded, run and jump for this ladder, it is your only way in!"

Xu Shu had given his captain orders just before he had the ladder hanging over. The best marksmen were to grab their crossbows and peer over the wall around Xu Shu's location and fire. Their targets were not the obvious cavalrymen following the girl directly behind, but the stragglers and flankers - those that were in a position to be easily taken out. The idea was to aid the girl, not to kill her.

// More to come later, I have to go out, but wanted everyone to know I am still around and making this post

[Asa Khan]

The situation standing as it was offered no exploitable points, so Asa simply waited for his prey to move closer to the walls.

"Keep firing, men! Make the field impassable!" Asa roared with glee as his men continued unleashing hails of arrows into the fields. The crops and land may suffer ever so slightly, but it was a small price to pay for the continued loyalty of the settlement, even if it had lost a leading figure.

[kaihime]

Running throught the archers fire and hoping that she was not going to be hit by friendly fire Kaihime saw the ladder being dropped from the village wall and heard a voice

"My Lady, the gates are barricaded, run and jump for this ladder, it is your only way in!"

The ladder ended quite the distance from the ground, however Kaihime was not phased. Luckily for her, agility and speed were her speciality. Kaihime picked up the pace in the last few metres before the ladder and leapt through the air grasping ahold of the ladder rung tightly as the pain in her side throbbed once more. She didn't know who she would meet once the ladder was raised but it didn't matter to her, she was going to help them defeat the yellow turbans.

[Tsuki (Ancient One)]

The Yellow Turban cavalry force was running everywhere as the horses bolted in a mad panic as the arrows rained down upon them. The riders couldn't control the animals anymore and were being thrown off their steeds by the animals kicking and rearing. The death toll grew as the bodies stacked but most of the horses fled the scene so were mainly unharmed.

YT Losses
200 Cavalry

Update
Messenger has managed to leave the battlefield and reached Nan Pi. Count down to reinforcements begins: 3 turns

Attachments: