EV: Chapter 28

Jinta City was built on a bend in the White River, where the course of the river turned north before heading up into the hills and mountains to its source. It was the only Han Settler Town that produced something besides Agricultural Products, Silk, and Porcelain, having Alluvial Gold and Trinium deposits that the populace panned for in the river using the Jinta Sluice Works, a fortified compound just outside the City Limits. It was a major industry in the city, and one of the two big reasons that Asteria had decided to make her stand here. The capture of food production was one thing, but Trinium was critical for the war effort, after all.

The other major reason for Asteria to make her stand at Jinta City was infrastructural rather than economic. Not only was the River Road leading to the North a vital artery for shipping troops and supplies to the front, but the Jinta Tower provided a fortified position from which to defend the City. Fortunately, I could send my Saka-descended Allies to cut the former. I did so, and Pratatavah's fast-moving, well-equipped cavalry troops eagerly took the assignment, already falling on a large Column of Jaffa, slaying many and capturing the rest before plundering their supply wagons. Unfortunately, the latter would prove a harder nut to crack than simple delegation would allow for.

A sixteen-story, one-hundred-seventy-three-foot, Skyscraper-sized spire of Trinium-reinforced Stone, the Jinta Tower served as the main residence for the Governor of the Han Settlers. Not only was the City's defense shield housed in the Tower, but so were the command and control mechanisms for the entire region. Four Staff Cannons were mounted on each of the eight terraces, giving the defenders the option to lay down artillery fire on any attackers or shoot down any aerial forces attempting bombardment. The only thing that it lacked as a fortified position was a dedicated Hangar for Ptah-class Fighters.

In short, if we were going to take Jinta City, we would have to somehow storm the Jinta Tower, and if we were going to storm the Jinta Tower, then we would need to come up with a good plan to do so. It wasn't something you needed to be a great strategist to defend, but that was the strength of such a good position. Most commanders who weren't incompetent could defend a good position. Fortunately for us, I was an excellent strategist and was more than capable of devising a strategem to seize the Jinta Tower. We also had the right tools to get this particular job done as well. I estimated that we would be able to seize the Jinta Tower with a daring, two-pronged assault. If we couldn't do that, though, then it would come down to a siege.

It helped that I had a small number of Attack Configuration Tel'tacs with Cloaking Devices to ring an assault force down into the tower with. That would be one prong, led by myself. However, the second prong would be led by Chen and use the sewers under Jinta City as a method of infiltration. Of course, getting access to those sewers was another matter. We would have to fight for them. Fortunately, however, the Jinta Sluice Works gave us just the access point we would need to slip Chen and his strike force through. Unfortunately, there was a Company of Jaffa stationed at the Sluice works. It was less than an assault on the City Proper would require us to fight to get access, but still not great.

Once we had control of the Sluice Works, Chen and a strike force could slip into the Sewers of Jinta City and use them to infiltrate the Jinta Tower from below while General Yan held out against the inevitable Counterattack from Asteria. Asteria can't afford to let the Sluice Works fall into our hands for long after all. She knows that it is a weak point in the defense of the City, which is why she stationed a full company of Jaffa there. She'll most likely send reinforcements from the Tower to counterattack, drawing troops and attention away from our strike forces. While that is happening, Chen's primary objective would be the Shield Generator, which, once lowered, should allow me to transport my strike force directly into the Tower's Command Center to confront Asteria personally.

It was, essentially, stratagems eighteen, fifteen, and six working in tandem to ensure a victory here. Zhuge Liang had nothing on me. All that remained now was to actually put the plan into action and see how the theory worked out in practice. As I clambered into the Attack Configuration Tel'tac Xiǎo Qílín, where thirty of the sixty members of my Strike Force were housed in the Troop Bay, I could only hope that the attack on the Sluice Works went well. There was nothing for it.

As the Xiǎo Qílín and its sister ship, the Kǒudài Xiezhi, lifted off and cloaked, all I could do was wait for word of victory. . .

XXXX

Third Prime Pankratios of Delos wasn't exactly thrilled to be commanding such an exposed position. True, he wasn't one of Lady Asteria's Jaffa, belonging instead to Lady Leto, which may have influenced the Titaness of the Stars to place him in such an exposed position, but he felt that such a posting was unwarranted. Indeed, after the disasters at Hekou Port, Sichou City, Niubang City, and Jiang Town, Pankratios was the highest-ranking of Lady Leto's Jaffa who yet survived and was not either captured by the enemy or barely holding out in the pocket around Duanzao City and Daotian Town, where Second Prime Naupaktos was in command of Lady Leto's Jaffa.

If anything, Pankratios felt he ought to have been rewarded for leading so many of Lady Leto's Jaffa to escape the onslaught. The better part of three Battalions of Jaffa had managed to withdraw from the deadly assaults thanks to his leadership. That was at least worthy of a promotion to Second Prime. Instead, it had been seen less as a canny move and more as proof of cowardice amongst Lady Leto's Jaffa. Two Battalions had been sent back North to Lady Leto in the Hills, where, last he had heard, they had been ambushed by Steppe Nomad Raiders working for the Enemy. The remaining Battalion had been broken up into Company-sized detachments and sent to different details. Pankratios' detail was to defend the Jinta Sluice Works.

"We're bait. Lady Asteria must be hoping to draw the enemy into attacking here in order to better concentrate forces for a counterattack." Grumbled Pankratios.

"I don't see how you could possibly know that. The minds of the Gods are not fathomable by us mere mortals." Opined Kallisto, Pankratios' Second in command of the Company and Fourth Prime.

Kallisto was a fierce woman, a finer Jaffa Warrior than many could hope for. However, the reason she had not risen higher than Fourth Prime after almost a full decade of service was that her strategic capabilities were somewhat lacking behind her personal combat prowess. The fierce Warrior Woman clearly didn't see what Pankratios saw in their situation. That his leading the retreat had displeased Lady Asteria, and the Goddess was punishing them all with this duty as a consequence for perceived cowardice. The alternative, of course, was much worse.

"I pray that you're wrong, Kallisto." Intoned Pankratios.

"Oh? Why would that be?" Questioned Kallisto.

"Because the Alternative is that we were sent to this position as a sacrifice for some greater working known only to the Goddess. As such, if that is the case, we will die never knowing what we spent our lives for." Answered Pankratios.

"Perhaps that is simply the way of the divine?" Queried Kallisto.

"Perhaps. I am no priest, however, even I know the Gods can be wrathful when roused to it." Pointed out Pankratios.

"Surely you don't believe that Lady Asteria would throw away the lives of a full company of Jaffa simply out of pique? Surely divine insight would show her the waste inherent in such an action?" Asked Kallisto.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. The fact remains that we are in an exposed position and will be attacked sooner or later." Shrugged Pankratios.

Kallisto frowned at that, puzzling over the situation. True, the Sluice Works weren't a horrible position. The walls of the actual buildings were made of thick stone brought down from the mountains, similar to the Tower Itself. However, unlike the tower, there was no Trinium reinforcement, no shields, and crucially, only two staff cannons to shoot down potential Ptah-class Fightercraft or Al'kesh Gunships with. Even those, the Company had to mount on carts drawn by oxen and haul out of the Barracks, as the Sluice Works hadn't been fortified further than the stone of the walls before they had taken up the position.

In short, it wasn't a position that anyone would actually desire to man if they weren't ordered to do so. It was outside the City Wall and outside the range of the Shield Generator in the Tower. In fact, it was doubtful the regulation staff cannons mounted on the Tower could give much in the way of artillery support at all. Maybe they could shoot down a few Ptah-class Fighters or hammer the edges of an enemy formation, but the core of any attack would still get through at this range. No, an attack that came in would likely see the Company being the primary defenders. And if that attack was much larger than the Company's size, they would likely lose this position.

That had been the reason Pankratios had ordered his Jaffa to rig the Sluice Works for demolition. Just in case the enemy drove them out of their positions here at the Sluice Works. Technically, it exceeded his remit as the local commander, but he was unlikely to survive the battle at any rate. Even if he did, it was unlikely that Lady Asteria would punish him too harshly. After all, if the Sluice Works were demolished, the Enemy couldn't make use of them to do whatever it was they might want them for. Pankratios was certain that such a denial of assets would be preferable to Lady Asteria than to have the Sluice Works fall into the hands of the Enemy intact. Besides, it was just infrastructure from the Han. Neither Lady Leto nor Lady Asteria cared much about the Han.

"How soon will Hippias and Megara be finished rigging the Sluice works to explode?" Questioned Pankratios.

"Perhaps another hour. Naquadah Charges are temperamental at the best of times. You don't want to rush these things." Shrugged Kallisto.

"The enemy could attack at any moment. Surely a bit more of a rush can be placed on the job?" Queried Pankratios.

"Not according to Hippias and Megara. They're the Company demolition experts, would you spurn their advice?" Asked Kallisto.

Before Pankratios could answer, however, the Staff Cannons of the tower roared to life in the distance, even as a cluster of Ptah-class Fighters began flying into range from the Enemy Camp. As the firefight began at the extreme ranges, Enemy Ptah-class Fighters janking, weaving, and evading fire, even as some of them burst into flames, Pankratios and Kallisto hit the dirt pre-emptively. The Enemy Ptah-class Fighters made it through the screen of extreme range staff cannon fire from the Tower, and began firing down on the Sluice Works, even as their own pair of local staff cannons began to fire back. A few more of the enemy fighters were downed by their staff cannons, but then a half dozen bolts of golden plasma flung at the Carts, where the Staff Cannons that Pankratios had the Company lug into position at the Sluice works were sitting.

Pankratios saw Ariston, one of the Cannon Operators, manage to dive off his cart in time to avoid the volley. Ismene, the other Cannon Operator, wasn't quite so fast, dying with her cannon as both Staff Cannons went up in an explosion of plasma and metal fragments. Several molten fragments shredded into a squad of Jaffa nearby, killing or wounding fourteen Jaffa. Ariston pushed himself off the ground, drawing a Zat'nic'tel and rushing over to where Kallisto and Pankratios were taking cover, helping his commanders up. Pankration and Kallisto both pulled Zat'nic'tels of their own, firing impotently up at the strafing enemy Fighters, as the Company was winnowed down further by the aerial attack.

Soon enough, however, the Enemy Fighters banked and flew back toward the enemy base, just as a war cry went up from the direction of the Enemy. Pankratios frowned as he took in the situation. A Company of enemy troops was charging toward them now. They weren't in range to fire yet, but it would only take a minute or so before they could.

"Get to cover!" Ordered Pankratios.

As his remaining Jaffa ducked for what little cover remained to them, Pankratios glared over at the inside of the Sluice Works. It seemed that he had been right after all. The enemy was attacking them in force now.

And there was simply no more time to rig demolitions charges. . .

XXXX

Chen let out a shout as he fired his Tianyan Staff Rifle at an enemy Jaffa, the man's armor failing to protect him from a golden bolt to the chest. The gold of Chen's bolt cored through the man's torso, even as the duller orange bolts of the enemy slammed into the dirt around him. As he turned to fire another bolt at an enemy Jaffa that had ducked behind a boulder, Chen marveled at how powerful and accurate his Lord's weapons were. Truly, such divine technology could only come from the minds of Gods. As his golden bolts chewed through the boulder-like cover, Chen charged, swiping down with the axe-blade of his Tianyan Staff Rifle and lopping the Enemy Jaffa's hand off at the wrist as he tried to parry, but overextended himself.

A female Jaffa charged at him from the side, firing a Ma'tok staff weapon at him as she did so. Two of the dull orange bolts missed him, but the third scored a glancing blow to his pauldron. Fortunately, the divine Tianzi Yuanjia Armor that his Lord had begun producing absorbed the dull orange bolt with just some black scoring and minor armor damage. The powered assist, however, allowed him to not only rip the Woman's staff weapon from her grasp with his parry as she came in to strike at him, but also allowed his sweeping riposte to cleave through her torso from shoulder to hip.

As Chen bathed himself in blood and glory, testing his new armor, his Jaffa were performing similar acts. All around him, the battle for the Jinta Sluice Works raged. It wouldn't be long now before they had driven the enemy off entirely with heavy losses. However, that wasn't to say they were having everything their own way. Chen watched as three of his Jaffa were hit by a direct blast from an exploding Neser Grenade, killing two and wounding one badly enough to require evacuation. Another of his Jaffa was his by a trio of staff weapons, burning through his armor and allowing a fourth blast to core out his chest. More had gone down to direct hits to weak points in the joints and faceplate. On the whole, however, their casualties were remarkably light so far.

As he turned to blast the legs out from under a charging Enemy Jaffa, however, Chen noticed a pair of Jaffa, one man and one woman, directing the dwindling enemy forces from within the doorway of the Sluice Works. Those must be the Primes in command of this detachment. As he charged across the rocky ground, he fired his Tianyan Staff Rifle at the man, rapid, pulsing, bolts of golden plasma chewing through half the door frame and blasting the Man's arm off even as he tried to duck inside. The Woman charged out with a scream of rage, swinging a Ma'tok Staff Weapon for his head. She was undeniably skilled, on par with Chen's own skills despite being clearly younger than him by a decade. Unfortunately, the Powered Assist of his Armor allowed Chen the Edge he needed to win the battle, though the contest of skill would be difficult.

Buoyed by rage, the Woman was able to keep up enough that, combined with her undeniable skill, she was managing to avoid losing. Parry, strike, and counterstrike turned into an extended exchange of blows as each combatant attempted to win out over the other. However, while his Opponent may be skilled and fueled by anger, Chen had the benefit of powered assist in his armor, plus the benefit of experience. After the fifth exchange, the Woman made a mistake. She thrust her staff weapon at Chen's Torso, forcing him to sidestep the glowing head skipping past him to blast its orange bolt harmlessly behind him. However, she was a split second too slow to recover, allowing Chen to grab her Staff Weapon under the head and use his armor's power assist plus his Martial Arts abilities to not only disarm her, but sweep her legs out from under her.

The Woman hit the dirt, and Chen placed his armored boot on her chestplate. He gazed down into her eyes as she glared at him. As she let out a growl, Chen made his decision then and there.

"You fought well. Much better than some. Will you not surrender?" He questioned.

"I am prepared for death. Why should I surrender?" Queried the Woman.

"To save what is left of your comrades. They cannot hope to win, and the rest of our Battalion, plus another full Battalion, will be along shortly to reinforce us. A counterattack has no hope here." Insisted Chen. The Woman looked conflicted for a moment before nodding her assent.

"Very well. I surrender for the sake of the remainder of my Company." She agreed.

"Very well, I accept your surrender. What is your name, Warrior?" Asked Chen, withdrawing his Tianyan Staff Rifle and helping the woman to stand.

"Kallisto. Kallisto of Illium." Answered the Woman, Kallisto.

"You fought well, Kallisto of Illium. I am Chen of Taiji, First Prime of Erlang Shen. Now order what remains of your force to stand down, and I will do the same for mine." Insisted Chen.

Once she had done so and all the prisoners had been collected, Chen moved to fully occupy the Sluice Works with his men. Soon enough, General Yan arrived with the reinforcements, and Chen was able to take a Company's worth of Troops into the Sewers. In total, they had only lost around twelve killed and twenty-eight wounded. Compared to total losses for the enemy company of two-hundred-fifty Jaffa, with around a quarter of those remaining to be captured. Now Chen's true mission could begin.

Hopefully, it would go as smoothly as the assault on the Sluice Works had. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so a bit of a shorter one today, since I was with my new Nephew all day. Here we see the plan for the Battle of Jinta City against Asteria, plus the opening phase of that plan. Erlang Shen is chaining multiple stratagems from the Thirty-Six Strategems together here in hopes of a crushing victory that will let him proceed to simply mop up enemy forces remaining on Wusun afterward.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the next part of this plan to see if he can actually manage to deal with Asteria the way he hopes he can. I'll also have a couple more images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .