BES: Chapter 8

Immediately, Ping jabbed at me with the spear point of his ji, trying to get me to give ground and keep me at range. I parried the spear point with my dao only for Ping to twist his ji and catch my dao between the spear point and the crescent blade of his ji. He immediately twirled his ji in an arc while pivoting, trying to wrench my dao out of my grip and disarm me. Instead, I leaped forward, moving with the motion. Ping tried the same thing again, but when I leaped forward again, he disengaged his ji from my dao, turning the disarm attempt into a ji-assisted throw. I landed in a shoulder roll and came back up to my feet in a ready stance.

"Not too shabby, not good enough to win either." Sneered Gongsun Ping.

"I'm just getting warmed up, Ping." I responded, cracking my neck.

Ping gave a shout and moved forward, sweeping the crescent blades of his ji for my neck. I ducked and immediately threw my dao up in a parry as he attempted to bring his ji down on the back of my neck. My parry knocked the ji off course, and I brought my dao back around to parry a second attack by Ping's ji, then a third. All the while, I crept closer in a crouch-walk. Eventually, I got close enough to swipe at Ping's legs with my dao. I cut out once, twice, and thrice before needing to parry a strike from the steel-shod butt of Ping's ji. The first cut sliced into the mountain pattern greaves Ping wore, denting the lighter leg armor. The second cut sliced through the straps holding the greave onto his left shin, forcing him to discard the armor. For the third cut he was forced to jump over my dao, then he struck out with the butt of his ji at me and I was forced to parry. A brief weapon's lock ensued before I kicked out with a textbook sweep and knocked Ping to the floor.

We both kipped up to our feet, but as he moved in to attack me with another strike from the haft of his Ji, Ping ate a Muay Thai style push kick that slammed him back away from me, stumbling to the floor again for a second knockdown. I rushed forward, swiping at him with my Dao, but he parried with the blade of his Ji from the floor, before attempting to strike at my legs to trip me up. I jumped up, avoiding the kicking leg, and came down with a cut of my Dao that Ping took on the vambrace of his left forearm, his Ji being out of position to parry again. This time, as I flipped my Dao around with a flick of my wrist, it sliced through the leather straps holding his mountain pattern vambrace to his arm, cutting the armor piece off his left forearm even as Ping managed to trip me up with a strike to my ankles with the butt of his Ji.

I rolled backward as I fell, pulling myself into a somersault before I got to my feet and rushed forward to capitalize on my still downed opponent, only for him to kick out with his legs and knock me back with a stomping kick to my chest. He wasn't as fast as I was, and I may have had the edge in skill, but Ping was still stronger than I was. His brute strength managed to stagger me from his wild double kick to my solar plexus, allowing him time to lever himself off the floor. He went for his ji right as I straightened myself from the kick. Thinking fast, I tossed my scabbard at him. The lead weight at the bottom of my scabbard made it a decent improvised weapon in a pinch, and in this case, it struck Ping in his helmet, knocking it askew and buying me time to close the gap. I moved to cut at Ping and succeeded in knocking his helmet off him. I tried a follow-up cut, but he dove under my Dao blade, landing near his Ji and grabbing it. He stood with his Ji at the ready, sans helmet, and with only one greave and a single vambrace. I grinned at him and took a stance of my own. My grin only seemed to anger him more.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"All that heavy armor and you can't keep it on. It's like shelling a crab." I huffed.

"I will not be compared to a crab!" Shouted Ping as he rushed forward with his Ji.

I parried the incoming thrust but disengaged before he could trap my dao between the tines of the spear point and crescent blades. He swung widely in an arc that I backed away from, and pressed his attack with a thrust that I parried. His anger seemed to lend his style even more aggression as he threw attack after attack at me, not letting up to recover his stance. I parried, dodged, and blocked, waiting for my chance. When it came, I grabbed it with both hands. He overextended a thrust and was too slow to transition to his next attack. I slipped my dao into the space between his scale vambrace and forearm like it was a sheath, then flicked my wrist. The motion not only cut the straps holding the vambrace to his forearm but also drew a line of blood across his forearm as my dao parted the silk cloth of his sleeve and sliced into the meat of the limb. He cried out in pain and struck out with the haft of his ji, knocking me backward, but the damage was done.

I looked at him, half armored in gaudy armor, bleeding from a deep cut to the arm, and huffing and puffing, and a thought occurred. With how cocky he'd been, his skill level, and the sheer power advantage he had from being strong like an ox, he'd probably never had to go this long in the ring before. Hell, he'd probably beat most of his sparring partners or prior challengers in the first couple of exchanges. Any challengers he'd have faced who would have beaten him, he'd likely been given a champion to face them for him. Fortunately for me, Kublai would not brook the same complacency in his children.

"What?" He puffed, clearly gassed already.

"You've never fought a peer opponent before, have you? You've always dominated your spars and duels from the outset, haven't you? And whenever you were challenged by a peer opponent or, Gods forbid, someone better than you, your family always stepped in to provide a champion to fight in your stead. Am I close to the truth, there?" I taunted.

"So. . .what?" Growled Ping between breaths.

"It means you never had to develop stamina. You burst out like a raging tiger right out of the gate, hoping to maul your opponent. If you can't do it, though, you get caught in a trap, fatigued, and can be overwhelmed. That gaudy scale armor isn't helping things. This fight is already over." I explained.

"Enough talk!" Shouted Ping.

Then, he mustered what strength he still had and cut out low at my legs with the crescent blades of his ji. I jumped over the crescent blades and landed on the ji-head, trapping Ping's weapon between my boots and the floor. With a snarl, Ping dropped his ji and lashed out with a fist that caught me by surprise and crunched into my nose, smashing it flat. I responded by striking at his throat with a tiger-claw strike, causing him to gag as the mountain pattern hauberk lacked anything resembling a gorget. I followed that up with a low kick to his knee, dropping him to one knee, then placed my dao at his neck.

"This fight is over! Prince Dalai is the victor!" Declared Leung Shun.

"Indeed, the outcome was decided before the last exchange. The Gongsun should know when to admit defeat." Scoffed Uriyangkadai.

Kublai turned to me with an appraising look, almost as if he hadn't expected me to win so handily. I was a bit hurt that my father hadn't been absolutely confident in my eventual victory, but I couldn't exactly blame him for that. After all, to an outside observer, Gongsun Ping had been clearly favored to win the duel. It still stung my pride to know that my Father had thought he might have to step in on my behalf here.

"Gongsun Ping's life is yours, son. What will you do with it?" Demanded Kublai, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I looked out at the crowd to spot the Gongsun Clan. Gongsun Chang was pale as silk, breaking out into a cold sweat, eyes darting about for a possible exit. Gongsun Xu's face was crimson with anger and shame at the outcome. He was staring daggers at Gongsun Chang. Gongsun Mei's face was hidden in the sleeves of her hanfu, even as Gongsun Lian had buried her face into her mother's court dress. I felt bad for some of them, not for Gongsun Chang, though. He'd made his bed with his duplicity and now had to lie in it. Odds were, he'd find himself at the wrong end of some assassin's dagger before the year was out if he couldn't come up with some bullshit to spout to Gongsun Xu so he could get off the hook for this debacle.

"You all have accused me of being a dishonorable wretch, a shame to my father and this court. You have challenged me to a duel under the pretext that I could not possibly defeat Gongsun Ping, younger and less experienced as I am. By all rights, I should kill your son and heir. The only reason I do not is because I believe you were misled by jealous counsel. This supposed shame to the court has chosen to spare your life, Gongsun Ping. In the future, you will remember that it was I who granted mercy. No one else." I pronounced.

"Indeed. And to add to my son's proclamation, let it be known that I am not as forgiving as he is. Should this sort of thing happen a second time, whispers of treachery, political action against the House of Tolui, lies used to justify rebelliousness, then I will march my armies north to Gongsun lands and burn your house down root and stem. Strategic pass or not, am I understood?" Intoned Kublai.

"Indeed, my Khan. I am humbled by your mercy. This will not happen again." Bowed Gongsun Xu. When he rose from his bow, I saw him shoot a murderous glare at Gongsun Chang. If looks could kill, then Gongsun Chang would be fried on the spot by bolts of fiery death from his brother's eyes. Something told me I would not have to worry about the Gongsun's machinations anymore, at least for the time being.

It seemed the assassins that would be coming for Gongsun Chang in the near future would be paid in the Gongsun's own coin, after all. . .

XXXX

AN: Here's the duel. As it turns out, Gongsun Ping is something of a paper tiger. He's got a similar skill level to Dalai in terms of pure Chinese Martial Arts, and has more raw power, but he's slower and has no stamina. He's usually been able to dominate fights from the get-go, and the Gongsun always furnished him a champion against peer or superior opponents. Dalai has also injected footwork, grappling, and other elements into his personal style that can take a fighter without a lot of experience with foreign styles off-guard. Ping wearing heavy armor certainly didn't help matters in that department. As for Gongsun Chang, someone's about to be the victim of fratricide.

At any rate, next chapter, we'll be back with lessons for a bit until the next big event, which will be the outbreak of War with Goryeo, though we'll be doing a bit of a timeskippy thing before then as well, as Dalai will be thirteen by the time war breaks out properly with Goryeo.

Stay tuned. . .