Battle Preparations

You can never grasp the sheer scale of an army when you only see pictures of it. Even in dramas and movies when everything is moving, when there are sweeping views of hundreds and thousands of soldiers, they can never capture the real thing. I haven't thought about this until I am face to face with the royal guards and most of the city guards, standing together in the afternoon sun, in the largest courtyard… no, square in the palace of Xiyang. There are easily five hundred people all together. This may not seem much, but Xiyang isn’t a big city and this is a small queendom. Yet another reason to attack it, since they can’t defend themselves for long with this small force and it will be a long time until help from the empire arrives. I’m starting to think they haven’t thought this through when they placed the artefact here… But who am I to judge them? I am only here to help save them this time.

I watch as General Liu officially hands over her token and thereby her authority over the troops to Zhu Chun, who will take them out to the desert. The third princess is like a different person. It seems she has deemed the situation serious enough to don her armour. With her hair all bound up and her body wrapped up in leather and metal, a fierce dragon decoration on her left shoulder, she looks every bit the commander going to war. General Liu seems satisfied with the words they exchange, as she nods and salutes Zhu Chun, who will lead her army away into the Ghost Hills. They will march during the afternoon and evening, forecasted to arrive there around the aforementioned hour of the Tiger.

Liu Renqing has been commandeered by his mother to lead the city guards stationed on the east side of Xiyang, while she will have an eye on the south and west. The north is covered by the palace. I can see him standing in front of the remaining guards, staring stoically ahead. I don’t know what his mother has said to him in the time between the morning assembly and now, though. I wish I could talk to him, but there are more pressing matters.

As I contemplate this, he looks up and our eyes meet. I am blinded by the smile he gifts me, the reassurance and love which I didn’t expect he would express any more since he knows I am not his Murong Zhiyu. Yet his heart is large enough and his kindness shines through. I am on your side, despite everything, his gaze seems to say and it tugs at my heart in turn.

“You have your orders,” Queen Zhu says to Zhu Chun, who lowers her head in acknowledgement. “Move out.”

“As you command,” Zhu Chun replies.

She raises both her token and the one of the city guard into the air, facing the troops. For this operation, General Liu is her subordinate, and she stands to the side, straight and calm. I had expected a proud general like her to put up more of a fight when giving up her authority, but as much as she has a prickly personality, she is also devoted to Xiyang and makes personal sacrifices when she needs to. I don’t like her, but I can respect that. Maybe we can find common ground after all, after everything settles down.

If I am allowed to stay for that long after I accomplish my mission, that is. I hope Murong Zhiyu will be comfortable with the changes I have wrought and live her life to the fullest after I’m gone.

“We march for Xiyang!” Zhu Chun yells and her voice magically echoes across the square. “Tonight we will engage the enemy to bring victory!”

“Victory! Victory! Victory!”

The voices of the fighters ring out in unity, the conviction and power they carry making my skin stand up in goosebumps. Their footsteps, as they walk synchronously, make the ground shake. I stand in awe, watching them leave the courtyard, hearing them for long after they vanish from sight. General Liu also leaves, off to organise the guards left around the city. That leaves just the Huoyun Sect disciples. They wait together with Dai Qian, Feng Ruoyi and Feng Yu on the sidelines. With a wave of Queen Zhu, they walk into the middle of the square, kneeling in front of her.

“You may rise,” she addresses them and waits until they all look up to her expectantly. “Yours is a very sensitive mission. You have a dedicated hour at which to strike. I trust Sect Leader Dai to instruct you on the specifics. You’ve been chosen by her for this task and this is why I trust you to carry it out flawlessly.”

Throughout this whole procedure, the first and crown princess of Xiyang, Zhu Dong, stands on the side of the raised platform, flanked by her attendants. She monitors the proceedings closely, yet never raises her voice. How must she feel seeing her two younger sisters given so much responsibility? Zhu Chun is leading the army and I am directly involved with dismantling the threat at the dam. Being crown princess is usually the highest honour one can hope to attain as a royal child, but… looking at her face, one could assume she has been punished with it instead.

If there actually is a mole in the palace, could it be her? No. No, it can’t be. I can’t even think of that. She’s Zhu Qiu’s sister. She’s the crown princess. No one should have better intentions towards the future and security of Xiyang than its queen to be. Just because she’s a grumpy individual doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. Just— Uh. The way she glares at me when I look at her for what she deems too long, sends shivers down my spine.

The Huoyun Sect disciples will go to Xiyang and spend the day preparing on their own, since the departing army will have already alerted the enemy, but could still be written off as a practice manoeuvre. If the sect moves together as well, closing in on the dam, they will know something is off. Come nightfall, every disciple will approach the dam from a different direction and strike together at the same time to neutralise the hidden spies.

Dai Qian talks to everyone separately before they leave. She chose fifteen of her disciples, including me and Dai Xuan, to carry out the mission. Some of them are even older than her, in the sect for longer than she has been leader. They’ve known each other forever and she trusts every single one of us.

“Thank you for entrusting your son to us,” Queen Zhu says to Feng Ruoyi.

“He explicitly asked to be a part of this. I just gave in to his wishes.”

“It’s admirable of him.”

They look at each other with a smile, both obviously knowing the real reason why he asked to accompany Murong Zhiyu. Neither of them seems to be opposed to it. Maybe the queen already knows about Feng Yu’s fake playboy personality and was so partial to him because of that. Who can tell?

“Let them go. They need to prepare,” the queen says.

“Off you go,” Feng Ruoyi adds, like sending two children out to play in the garden.

Feng Yu still seems wary of the queen, since she has at one point actually threatened to kill him, so it’s not entirely unfounded. He bows lower than ever before and avoids eye contact altogether. While this is standard behaviour with the queen, the way he does it feels especially defeated. I take his hand and drag him from the room. Outside the door, Dai Qian is waiting for us. She looks to Feng Yu, then back to me.

“It’s alright. Through circumstances beyond my control he knows who I am,” I whisper to her and her eyes rightfully widen in surprise. This is a secret second only to the existence of the artefact itself.

“Then follow me,” she says.

We leave the palace together like a mother, daughter and the nervous boyfriend. Even though her destiny is a heavy one, Murong Zhiyu is lucky enough to have two mothers, who both look out for her in her their own way. Dai Qian leads us through the main street until we arrive at an affluent looking restaurant by the name of Clear Spring. I don’t know what the name should invoke, but the place looks great. I am suddenly reminded that I haven’t tried nearly enough food in this world yet.

“I reserved a room for us, but since Feng-gongzi is in the know, he is welcome to join us. I’m sure he needs some fortification for tonight’s mission as well.”

“I’d be honoured to join you,” he confirms with a bow.

“No need to be so formal. Come on.”