24 The weight of a general

3rd person PoV

As Ouki cut through the enemy to reach the hill across, Shin and the others were resting after their battle. Shin went to the edge of the hill to see the battlefield and he saw the Wei soldiers being cut down by an army that was coming here.

The unknown army reached the hill top and was identified by Heki as the Ouki army. Shin was unimpressed and said that he could take him on but Ouki put his Glaive on his neck to prove his point as Shin jumped away.

Ouki spoke with a smirk," You might have potential kid, but you are way over your head. You might be the biggest fish in the pond, but in the vast ocean, you are pitifully small and weak. Only by growing stronger you can hope to achieve your dreams."

Shin gritted his teeth and yelled out," Of course I know that! That's why I'm here. I'm going to keep fighting and winning until I become the strongest. "

Ouki gave out a chuckle and spoke," Nfufu, the strongest you say? That's something you can never reach. Take me for an example, I was a part of the 6 greats of Qin, and most of peers were considered invincible.

But yet they fell before the enemy anyway. Even I was defeated once at the hands of Zhao's Supreme Heaven Lu Bu."

Shin then replied," I heard there was a crazy strong general called KouRyu who was undefeated. He never lost a battle so I will be like him! "

Ouki and Tou both laughed out loud hearing Shin's statement which ticked him off as he was about to yell again but Ouki stopped him with a gesture and spoke," You can't be like him. KouRyu is a peerless talent only seen once in a generation. Tell me young Shin, do you know how many types of generals are there?"

Shin was confused and said," what do you mean types of General? "

Ouki replied calmly," There are two kinds of Generals usually. One is a strategic type who commands troops like chess board and uses tactics to outmanuever enemies, like the Wei general Gokei. Then there's the Instinctual type, one who uses their instincts to counter and overwhelm their foes. Qin general Duke Hyouko is one of them.

But aside from these two, there is a very rare type of General who has mastery over strategies and also has a keen instinct to know how and where to strike. These generals are known to be blessed by the Heavens themselves and stand above the rest.

Even among them, KouRyu stands above with his martial prowess. He went head to head with Lu Bu, the strongest man in China and almost defeated him on his own. That is a level only seen once in a millennium."

Shin refused to accept that and replied," Then I'll just have to become better than him and I'll surpass his legends."

Ouki looked at Shin for a while and spoke," Nfufu, then I'll just have to watch and see your progress young Shin."

Shin wanted to rush into the battlefield to join the fight but he waited as Ouki told him he wouldn't make much difference in a head on collision of forces.

3rd person PoV

Everything proceeded same as history as Duke Hyouko defeated Gokei. The Qin army returned Victorious and was rewarded generously.

Shin, for the accomplishments of slaying Genyuu and defeating the chariot corps, was directly promoted to a 300 man commander with the lands of Fuuri as a reward. He officially became a citizen of Qin and a landlord.

With this battle, the year 245 came to an end and Qin started consolidation of their power in the newly conquered region. Shin formed his unit of 300 and trained them in basic martial arts. Ei Sei advised Shin that he should learn under a great general about commanding troops and Shin realized he needed to learn more. So he chose to go to Ouki for learning.

Shin then took his leave from Kanyou and Went towards Baxi, the lands of OuKi to receive guidance from Ouki himself. OuKi refused him at first but after a week of constant pestering, he took Shin under him and started teaching him about what it means to be a General.

Shin went through the brutal training and his strength increased fast. He also understood that being a general, he held the loves of his troops in his hand and he needed to be careful about commanding them.

Ouki taught him about the weight a general holds. How a general can influence an entire war, and the risks if a general fails, these things were drilled into Shin through hellish battles. He taught Shin about the weight of accomplishments a general holds and how that can decide the outcome of a fight.

Under Ouki, Shin grew up rapidly and he could be considered a part of the Ouki army. His strength was also comparable to a 1000 man commander of the Ouki army. The 6 months he spent under Ouki was quite productive for Shin.

Soon, the days of training came to an end as Zhao was sending a great army of 100,000 under Houken to attack Bayou. OuKi was assigned an army of 120,000 and was sent to defend Bayou. He also took Shin and his unit with him as he planned to teach him by practical experience.

The army of Qin was assembled and they marched towards Bayou to fight Zhao after 8 years. Shin, for some reason felt an ominous vibe when he marched to Bayou which was shared by Ouki too. But they continued with their march.

The army arrived at Bayou and set up camp. Shin got a 100 horses from Ouki and that added to his units strength further. He continued training his troops with the help of Kyoukai. Kyoukai was a great part of his unit as his deputy who excelled in both tactics and strength.

He entrusted the cavalry to Kyoukai and Kyoukai managed to form a good unit. They lacked only experience which they were about to receive in this battle as a special unit directly under Ouki himself.