Sun Bofu

Prologue- The Man of the Moon

This is the story of your father, the great Sun Ce, who you will never know. I don’t tell you because it’s a story that you need to be told so you know of your father’s life; nor because it’s a good yarn. But because I need to tell it and I know that Sun Bofu, (as I was privileged enough to know him) the man I followed and idolised, would of wanted me to tell you. And if you do learn something from it you may be able to restore this land to the glory at had under your father before his brother took over. I suppose it begins far back in time, before I was even born, let alone having met your father; back when…


* * * * *


“Why do you have to go?” cried a heavily pregnant woman, still stunningly beautiful despite the lines that showed her to be tired and stressed. This was directed at a tall, strong man who was strolling away, blade slung casually over his left shoulder lying so he could draw it at a seconds notice. The blade was the only material thing that made him stand out from those around him. It was obviously of very good quality and well used, while in contrast his clothing showed someone of almost no wealth or status. Yet his very presence radiated confidence and he stood tall with dignity and pride that showed him to be a natural leader.

As she received no response she continued ranting, “If you die who will look after me and our unborn child? My family won’t and yours can’t afford to!” This time he did react; spinning around on the balls of his feet he declared,
“No-one, because none in this so called ‘Emperor Yangming’s army will even give me a challenge, no matter kill me. What’s more I promise I’ll kill this Xu Chang and make a name both you and your family will be proud off!”

With this he turned around and with a jump landed on the back of the horse that had been his wedding gift from his beloved parents’ in-law. As he galloped forward his two officers flanked him and he gave the signal to begin the advance. His troops followed his example as he moved forward. One thousand men moving in perfect order; something you wouldn’t of believed possible when the volunteer army had began arriving a few months before in drips and drabs.

Suddenly on an impulse he stopped, drew his sword, stood up in his stirrups and threw his blade up high in the air. Every man had his eyes glued to the golden hilt as it spun around wildly in mid air. As it came back down towards Sun Jian there wasn’t a single man wondering if he would catch it or not. He held out his hand and the diamond encrusted hilt landed smoothly in to his palm and his fingers closed around the blade of his ancestors as the feeling off victory swept through his body before he held it up in the air to the cheers of his army.

Behind him his wife, the Lady Wu, watched as he moved further in to the distance. She thought to herself that the young merchant-born major, her husband, was right. He would bring fame to his name and would make her family eat their cruel words about him not being good enough for her. He’d do it because the alternative was too unbearable to imagine. But no matter the result she would survive, her and her unborn son. The man of the moon, Sun Ce…

Chapter 1-The Sun Clan

It was about ten years after that day my life changed forever. It was then I first remember meeting Sun Jian. He was dressed in his full war glory and what a glorious sight that was to behold. I was young and impressionable and I’ve dreamed of being a warrior ever since. Yet now I’ve had that honour taken away from me, by my lord who’s scared of how good I am, I dream of being a warrior once again! However I’m sure I won’t always be dreaming and when the chance comes I intend to grasp it with both hands and make Sun Quan regret suppressing my talent for his own selfish ends.

Sun Jian had completed all that Lady Wu had dreamed of and far more. It took him little more then a month to crush Xu Chang’s small and unorganised army and therefore end the rebellion in the south. Someone seemed to notice his efficiency as soon after he was recommended as a ‘Flourishing talent’ and became an assistant prefect, a feat almost unheard of for the son of a merchant! He served in this capacity in various cities over the years. The last of which was Xiapi which would be my home for a few years.

As Sun Jian moved up through the world so did his brothers. His older twin, Sun Qiang, and my father Sun Jing had used his good name to great effect. Expanding the merchant business their father had left them when he died a few years earlier. This meant they were well off and so put the family in a better position then they had ever dreamed, position and later fame backed by money which allowed them to carve out their own niche in the empire.

However it was on what was meant to be a sad occasion that Sun Jian came home for the first time in several years. Sun Qiang had passed away, I never did discover the circumstances but I would guess they were suspicious as he had made more then a few enemies with his aggressive marketing style, and so Sun Jian was returning to Fuchun to mourn. I say it was meant to be a sad occasion as I don’t remember feeling any grief. Despite him being my uncle I barely knew him and I always got the impression he thought me more then a bit boisterous and a pain in the arse.

However he’d left behind a wife and two children. His wife was a sour bitch who liked me even less then her husband as she thought I bullied her youngest son. She was right of course but he deserved it, not least for running to his mummy when ever he got hurt. She followed her husband to the grave only a few years later so I didn’t have to worry about backhand slaps from her bony hands for long. Her children however grew in to men, both strong in body if not in spirit. As you’d expect from cousins they passed in and out of my life fairly often but despite my efforts I never especially liked either of them. The eldest Sun Ben I felt some grudging respect for but for Fu I barely manage to keep my contempt concealed.

Over the next two weeks I got to know my cousins quite well, the eldest was Ben who thought he was better then us because of his age. He was in his early teens and an arrogant prick who only tolerated our company because the adults wouldn’t his. Next was your father, Sun Ce, he was big for his age and with a body that promised to bulk out. He was loud, funny, and liked by all; he never really changed and that was good. Then there was me, Sun Gao, I was of average height and while being broad I was also slim. I never really gained as much muscle as the others relying more on speed and skill to beat opponents. Lastly was Sun Fu who I and Ce (we were good friends within minutes of meeting each other) considered little more then a snivelling brat. Looking back that’s not very surprising as he had just lost his father and we were being overly harsh to him. Later however he proved that he deserved our contempt, so I never did feel guilty for the way we treated him, but I’ll come to that in good time.

Actually there was a fifth; Sun Ce had a sister called Sun Renxian who was even younger then Sun Fu by some years. She was shorter then us, probably the same height as any other girl her age, but we still told her she was small. She also had an extremely bubbly personality and could make all of us smile whenever she wanted to, which was often. We enjoyed her company so allowed her to tag along even if we never let her join in our games. Like all boys we dreamed of war so our games consisted of mock fights with wooden swords. We were convinced that war was no place for a girl. Which of course it isn’t but we didn’t know that then having never seen the horror but also the glory of a battlefield. In time she became known for being a great swords-maid who could beat most men in a duel but Sun Ce and later that twat Sun Quan never let her near a real fight and I’m sure her husband to be, Liu Bei, won’t either.

I don’t remember anything about the ceremony itself as I was a young boy and he was a distant uncle and I wasn’t that cut up about his death. However I do remember the arrival of Sun Jian and his family. They were flanked by twenty honour guards but Sun Jian was the one who caught my eye. He was wearing his tiger topped helmet with expensive armour, a red cloak hung over his right shoulder and his glorious sword safe in its scabbard. He looked impressive, amazing. Better then anyone I’d seen at eight years old but one day his son, Sun Ce, would outshine him. But right then that was far in to the future and even further from my mind.

My eyes slid over Lady Wu, back then I had no interest in girls but that would change in time; I’m relieved that it did. I’m assured by those with a longer memory then mine that back in her day she was a stunning women. At this point she was still slim despite having already given birth to two children, the first of many. Next I noticed Sun Renxian who had inherited her mother’s good looks and she broke the rather formal atmosphere with a giggle. Then from behind his mother stepped Sun Ce, he wasn’t impressive to look at, he was only ten at the time but he still caught my eye. He had the kind of presence that drew men to him and he never had a problem with a lack of talented men to serve him.

I have little memory of the ceremony which either means it was long and boring and my mind has blocked it out to avoid scarring. Or it was very short. I’m sure I’d of spent most of it throwing awed glances down at Sun Jian but he never commented on it so I can’t have been that obvious. Anyway I do remember that Lady Wu delivered a piece of information after the funeral, she was pregnant again. I was delighted at the time but within a few years I came to wish that her son had died in child birth. That child, the current Lord of Wu, Sun Quan has been a curse to me since he was born, now of course I have to say that he a great and generous lord but in my glory days he would of thought twice before crossing me.

After this came the talk of what should be done with Ben and Fu. After half an hour I decided the conversation had dragged on too long and Sun Ce, Renxian, Fu and me went out to play. Of course using wooden swords after a relative had just died was hardly respectful and I’m still surprised no one told us to stop. Normally we did Fu and Ben against me and Ce which was fair enough except we nearly always lost. However with no Ben we just had a free for all and Sun Fu got hurt by a badly blocked blow to the head and he went running to his mother. We got bollocked that evening but it was well worth it.

Sun Ben had stayed in with the adults as he wanted a say in his own future. I still doubt he said anything sensible and if he did it was probably ignored. However he was very proud of himself that night and made many snide comments about age and maturity until Sun Ce threatened to hit him. Ben acted hurt and then finally related to us what had been decided. To my shock the whole of the Sun clan was moving to Xiapi where Sun Jian was currently serving as assistant prefect. They’d decided that since chaos was sweeping through the land in the form of the Yellow Turbans they’d be best off together, safety in numbers and all, but it would also mean they could pool there resources to take advantage of any opportunities that went by. Thirdly it meant that the responsibility off looking after Ben, Fu and their mother would be shared between the two households. Of course all this flew over my head at the time and I was just delighted I would be spending more time was Ce and Jian, of course it meant I’d be spending more time with Ben and Fu as well but the positives out weighed the negatives this time round.

Within a few weeks we were ready to go, we numbered about thirty as the Sun Jing had decided to leave servants behind as they could hire others there. As we were about to ride out the city gate we were approached by a group nearly as large as ours. I looked around and noticed that Sun Jian looked apprehensive, as if readying himself for a fight while Lady Wu was close to tears. I discovered a few hours later that this was Wu Jing, Lady Wu’s brother. They hadn’t seen each other since Sun Jian had led the raw recruits against Xu Chang and as I mentioned earlier they hadn’t left on the greatest of terms.

However since then Wu Jing had been hearing Sun Jian’s name on a regular basis and had finally come to realise he’d been wrong about his prospects. He wanted to accompany us to Xia Pi since most of his close relatives had died and he wanted to spend time with Lady Wu. Well that was the reason he gave, I personally think he saw that Sun Jian offered him the best chance of success in the future but I can’t complain as I did well by him later on. Anyway Sun Jian accepted, after all some nobility could only improve his family’s chances. Then we left.

Wow! Babe, that's brilliant, and I mean it. I was really laughing in places, just from your choice of words, but I was more amazed at how talented you are a writer. I've read many, many books in my life and I have to say, the piece I've read so far from you, kept me more interested all the way through than some of the other things I've read from published writers.

I especially liked the explanation about your relationships with your cousins. It was well written and amusing at times, and your description of Sun Jian made me fall in love with him... which in hindsight would be a bad thing because now I'm stuck with a crush on someone I can't even meet....ever! Seriously though, I really enjoyed it. Please post some more when you get the chance, babe, I'd really like to know what happened between you and Sun Quan.

I do have one thing I'd like to say on a more critical side, babe, but it's nothing big, just a minor quibble. Let me know if you're open to criticism, babe...but don't worry if you're not, I completely understand.

Thanks Mai, I really appreciate all feedback, positive and negitive. If its about the grammar then its something people always say

And I love it when people enjoy my stories so its all good

Sun Fin wrote:

Thanks Mai, I really appreciate all feedback, positive and negitive. If its about the grammar then its something people always say

And I love it when people enjoy my stories so its all good

Yeah, it was just the grammar that I had noticed a few minor discrepancies. You'd put "of" instead of "have" a few times, and "then" instead of "than", and there was the occasional missed comma.

I'm not trying to detract from the story. It was brilliant, I mean it. I really want to read about what happens next. I just thought I'd mention about the grammar, but I don't mean to cause offence. I do it too, and I don't really check it until the end.

Really, babe, post more, pleasssseeee! I'm dying to hear what happened between you and Sun Quan...

Thanks Mai, I've just joined a site for budding writters (heres my portfolio http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/finchy everything posted there is on here as well though!) and I'm hoping they'll be really effective in sorting out my gramma. As I said I'm not doing writing untill after my exams but I'm hoping to do lots of writing after them! Anyway I'm about to post up an addition with less mistakes!

Sun Fin wrote:

Thanks Mai, I've just joined a site for budding writters (heres my portfolio http://www.writing.com/main/my_portfolio everything posted there is on here as well though!) and I'm hoping they'll be really effective in sorting out my gramma. As I said I'm not doing writing untill after my exams but I'm hoping to do lots of writing after them! Anyway I'm about to post up an addition with less mistakes!

That's great, babe! I'll sign-up and take a look. I'll post here once I've read some.

So, does this place really fix mistakes and whatnot? I could use some help myself...

I forgot to edit it but doing that now .

Well other author's review your work for you and in that they point out errors and stuff. But they also have publishers on there (its the biggest writer portfolio site in the world) who take a look at potential stories so its a good place to get spotted!

Sun Fin wrote:

I forgot to edit it but doing that now .

Well other author's review your work for you and in that they point out errors and stuff. But they also have publishers on there (its the biggest writer portfolio site in the world) who take a look at potential stories so its a good place to get spotted!

Urm, this might sound like a newbie question, but I don't know how to find your story. I've signed up and everything, but I'm a bit lost. When I press on your link, it actually takes me to my portfolio.

And thanks for the info. I don't know whether I'll post anything myself just yet, I'm not that confident, but I'm trying to get Mits to post some of his work.

Ok don't worry I'll post the link to my public portfolio instead of the link so I can see my portfolio (in other words its my mistake!)

http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/finchy

Remember rate me, also if you could take a look and maybe review my friends work he'd appreciate it and his story is fantastic! ( http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/flaw )

A big thanks to Wassup who's come over and joined up as well and has boosted my rep!

Mai don't feel shy about posting they're a really nice crowd and you can make settings so only certin people can read it!

Sun Fin wrote:

Ok don't worry I'll post the link to my public portfolio instead of the link so I can see my portfolio (in other words its my mistake!)

http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/finchy

Cheers, babe! I thought I was doing something wrong. I do that a lot.

[/quote]Remember rate me, also if you could take a look and maybe review my friends work he'd appreciate it and his story is fantastic! ( http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/flaw ) [/quote]

Yeah sure I'll take a look and I'll definitely rate them as soon as I've read them.

Mai don't feel shy about posting they're a really nice crowd and you can make settings so only certin people can read it![/quote]

That's good to hear. I'm taking a look a round right now so as soon as I've got the lay of the land, I'll see about posting my stories. Could take a while though. I write all of mine by hand, so I've got to type them all up.

Well some kind member has annomousily upgraded my account for me so! But yeah theres a new story up that I'll post here when I have time!