Trấn Hưng Đạo
The Great Lord of Hưng Đạo
Southern Moor
Receiving the rather sizable bottle of moonshine, he smiled and thanked the owner of the establishment. He took a sizable pull of the drink, and felt his mood rise with the burning down his throat. It tasted just as it should have, like absolute swill, like home. Ah, that was the stuff.
...but good things couldn’t have lasted. He sensed rather powerful presences invading his and his Master’s demesne, which meant that either they were idiotic as one could be, or immensely strong. Both were of concern, and thus, he sent a message through the mental link he had with his Master. As he did so, he handed his bottle of rượu đế to the one-armed man who waited with him.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to accept your offer. Someone’s been rather rude, and I have to take care of some business. But you were rather polite, so try some of this. You seem to be a Western servant, so try something new for once, besides your wine. Careful, careful, though. It’s quite strong,” Rider spoke. But, he intended to come here once more, once the business was… taken care of, so-
“...perhaps we can drink together some other time, however.”
And as he spoke, he disappeared back to the Southern Moor.
---
Arriving in his territory, he assessed the presences he had detected. One was hidden, but nothing could hide from him in his domain. A pity that it had to be that woman, he did intend to thank her for revealing to him that base earlier. The other…
The other had great power, indeed. But power was nothing in the hands of those who did not use it properly. A madman advancing at the head of an army of skeleton warriors, seemingly unthinking as well. He supposed that was the plan, an enormous hammer to draw his attention, while a hidden dagger would strike at the heart of their demesne and provide cover. A workable plan, albeit simple and heavy handed. It was too reliant on the fact that the female Servant would be able to stay hidden, and that the enormous, dark Berserker would be able to provide a sufficient enough distraction with his sheer power and forces.
The first was nullified by virtue of his Noble Phantasm. As for the second...
Vietnam was a small country. But that did not mean they were weak. China had oppressed them for nigh-on a thousand years, but they had always, always fought. The cornered rat bit the hardest, and they were no
rats.
Three times the Mongol hordes had stormed into his homeland. They, with their great hordes, with their thundering horses, their arrows that could blot out the sky. Thousands upon thousands of men, so
assured that they could crush this upstart kingdom.
Three times they were thrown back.
Why?
Because the men they fought were defending their homes. Their families. Their livelihoods. They answered the call of trying times, and they fought. They fought, and fought, and fought. They fought under
his command, and they
won. Oh, surely, they did not face the barbarian hordes face-on. Only a fool would do that. And well-
“A good general needn't deploy. A good deployer needn't fight. A good fighter won't lose. A clever loser won't die."He was no fool.
Cut off their supplies, never allow them to rest. Burn your lands, so they can take nothing from you. Prepare what is left, so when they attempt to steal, they are punished. Attack where they are weakest, when they cannot respond. Divide them, until they are no longer united in a mighty whole. And then retreat back into the dark, the jungles and swamps that are yours, and never theirs, and do it all over again.
That was what he and his men did, up until his greatest triumph, and sent the Yuan running back to China, cutting them apart all the way up on that road.
Indeed, he had no men. He could not afford to scorch the Earth. There were no supplies that he could capture and steal. He was outnumbered by far. It was unlikely he could hide, considering the woman was able to see the area that he could not by herself, and that he would have to be wariest of all, as the greatest tool he had, that all in the ragtag army he had was stealth. But, he had prepared these grounds. He knew this land like the back of his own hands. The invading force, these
transgressors, were indeed mighty, but...
He was Trấn Hưng Đạo, and he needed nothing else but
himself.
---
Within a few instants, he formulated a plan, and began setting it into action. His traps were checked over, and began activating. While simple ones like rolling logs and pit traps would do little to capable Servants, they served their purpose well in sweeping away their minions, and the commotions caused by them served to distract his foes. His skills activating alongside with his territory greatly weakened the Servants, limiting their abilities and power, and with his intermittent attacks and retreats, they were guided down a certain path. Certainly, it was difficult to guide the woman down, as she was sane and likely of sound tactical mind, she was forced to follow the madman and his army. Admittedly, an army cut into ribbons, and weakened even further, but well, the Servant could still generate them.
It would have to end soon. Either with the enemy Servants dead or fleeing, as his failure was not an option.
@ReallyDumb @Yukitamas @Kyoka