Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 41

Jin qing followed Shang ye out of the tent, watching the column of dust carefully.

"The dust is wide but it isn't as tall..." Jin qing mumbled under her breath. "The Song has a large number of chariots and infantry behind them. Summon the archers-" She whirled around, looking for other signs that the Song might ambush them from. "They're coming from the west too, but the dust isn't as heavy. They're trying to break in from the east where the steepest hills are-"
Jin qing's mind raced to think about what that other man would do in this situation.
"it could be a diversion. Chariots create lots of dust... Focus the archers there! Shang ye!"

"I know!" Shang ye had already rung the alarm bells even though the men could already guess what was going on. Shouting for the archers to focus on scattering the front lines, he also commanded the soldiers to counter the attack on the west. "Jin qing, I want you to stay here-"

"And watch the camp burn to the ground?" Jin qing had already unsheathed the sword she had taken from her room and was putting on the lightest and smallest piece of armor she could find in that short time. "They're going to outnumber you. You're going to need all the help you can get as some men retreat. They have cut off the direct routes back to the nearest city, tell the men to cut back into the swamps as soon as they get the chance. Ask the men if there are any willing to fight to the death as the others retreat. I don't like this but I suspect that they greatly outnumber us."

"I could tell." Shang ye sighed "But you promise me you'll be one of the first ones to return. I don't want anything happening to you."

"Not a chance." Jin qing answered quickly. She knew that she had a slim chance of escaping anyway if that man was leading this ambush. "I'm staying with you. I'm not leaving until you are."

"Jin qing-"

"Listen. I came here because I wanted to help save as many lives as possible, and that includes you."

Shang ye noticed the change in her expression and tone and decided not to argue. "Stay close."

"Of course." Jin qing snatched up a bow and a quiver of arrows and ran to join the archers in the east. The conditions weren't right for anther attack by fire, so they'll just going to have to do this the slow way. She can hear Shang ye talking to the troops and was glad to see many hands rise up when he asked if there were any willing to fight to the death and sacrifice themselves so the others can escape.

The thought of the chance coming face to face with that man scared her.

She wasn't afraid of too many people in the living world neither did she hate too many people as much as she hated him.

Jin qing can almost hear the man's laughter echoing in her mind, the rattle and the faint sounds of iron...

She lifted up her arm along with the rest of the archers and fired their first volley of arrows at the chariots. Many of the arrows hit their mark and killed the horses pulling the chariots, causing the chariots to suddenly stop and cause havoc in the front lines. This would only slow them down a little, but already Jin qing could see many of the men retreat back into the swamps.

The swamps are usually places you want to avoid, but this is a desperate situation and anywhere would be better than the open plains.

Jin qing fired arrow after arrow until her quiver was empty and her hand sore from gripping the bow too tightly. They had managed to slow the chariots down, but the situation with the infantry left her anxious. Would they be alright?

She lowered her bow and left it on the ground, running to the other side of the camp to check on how they were doing.

Chaotic.