If Tomorrow Brings War

Seventh Year of the Sonwa Era
Second Moon, Seventeenth Day
Hairyu County, Hairyu Castle

Cheers erupted from all over the town as the victorious volunteers marched through the main gates, still bloodied and battered by the battle from days prior. Some volunteers held their heads high, proud that they managed to fight off an enemy nearly twice their size. Leading the volunteers, Governor Shou rode in front of the marching column, a smile on his face, but clearly looking tired and worn out for doing something he never trained for.

Behind the volunteers, General Kai and his cavalrymen followed, their armor and robes still stained with mud and blood from the battle.

Just behind the General and his men, Ginshi followed.

The cheers from the crowd crescendo into a great roar as she entered the town, causing Ginshi to flinch in surprise.

She sighed, remembering that her siblings still lacked any practical combat experience, nor time spent mingling with the very people they sought to rule over.

And yet, despite the smile on her face, her expression remained dark.

As far as Ginshi was concerned, she deserved none of this fanfare. Preparations, strategy, training, she contributed nothing.

Ginshi’s smile wavered as she looked behind her towards the gates, looking for the person who she knew remained absent from the festivities. The one she thought deserved the most credit for this victory.

Back at the Village of the Sage, Ren watched as the villagers and volunteers dragged the captured bandit cannons through the gates.

The ornate castings of dragons on the cannons stood out. In particular, the cannon barrel flared out at the muzzle in the shape of a dragon’s maw.

Ren sighed.

Though well-made and intimidating, the bronze used for the castings added extra weight to an already heavy weapons system, made worse by the overbuilt carriages used to haul the cannons around.

The cannons fired iron cannon balls of roughly eighteen pounds weight, adding to their already cumbersome nature.

Useful for both use in a siege and in the field, sure, but still.

Ren groaned in frustration before turning his attention to the next thing on his agenda list.

Roughly a hundred paces away from the village gates, in a small clearing, sat slightly over three thousand bandits: prisoners taken from the previous battle. Surrounded and guarded by armed volunteers, roughly three hundred of them sat on the ground, huddling together for warmth. Other groups of prisoners took shelter in tents within hastily constructed prisoner of war camps scattered across the vicinity of the village.

A sting of pain rushed through Ren’s head, causing him to briefly lose his balance.

“…Right,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s get this over with.”

Ren tiredly stumbled into his hut, where he gently lowered himself onto the floor. Leaning on the wall behind him, he dragged his desk closer before slapping the pile of papers he carried onto it.

With a reluctant sigh, Ren picked up one of the documents, helpfully prepared by Mina beforehand.

“Twenty-five hundred and forty-nine prisoners,” Ren muttered. “Shoving them in temporary camps should do for now, but that’s not feasible as a long-term solution.”

He switched his gaze to a different document.

“…Roughly fifty-five hundred enemy dead, compared to our thirteen hundred dead and wounded…”

With a heavy sigh, Ren dropped the documents back onto the table.

“I knew this would happen,” he muttered. He then glanced at the document regarding the prisoners.

Just as he initially expected, many of the citizenry of Hairyu County displayed open hostility to the prisoners. The thirty-three percent casualty rate of the volunteers made things worse.

“I hope I don’t have to kill them all.”

“…Kill who?”

The sudden voice made Ren perk up his ears, his body lacking the energy at this point for a proper fight-or-flight response.

Ren glanced to his right and found Ginshi standing in the doorway, still bloodied and battered; though, someone, most like Ranka, exchanged Ginshi’s bandages for fresh ones.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Ren asked.

“Speak for yourself,” Ginshi replied. “May I come in?”

Ren nodded, followed by Ginshi letting herself into the hut and sitting down next to Ren.

“… I was talking about the prisoners,” Ren said, replying to Ginshi’s question from earlier. “The people of the county consider them to be bandits. They want them dead.”

“But they treat the ex-bandits from this village well,” Ginshi said.

“Teacher made that happen,” Ren said. “Teacher came up with a way to rehabilitate the bandits and convicts; and, he convinced the governor and others that it could work.”

Ren let out a sarcastic and defeated chuckle.

“I’m not Teacher,” he said. “I don’t have his knowledge, his experience, his charisma, nothing.”

Ginshi opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but hesitated.

“…I’m sorry,” Ginshi finally managed.

“What for?”

“For making you go through all this.”

Ren sighed.

“I already told you,” said he. “We all signed up willingly for…”

“That’s not what I mean,” Ginshi said, cutting Ren off. “… You think all that blood from earlier is on your hands, don’t you?”

Ren, in the middle of picking up one of the documents from his desk, abruptly paused as he heard this.

“… I’m surprised,” he admitted, a slightly sad smile on his face. “Am I that easy to read?”

“Maybe,” Ginshi replied. “I’ve only known you for only a few days or so, but I can tell that much.”

She sighed before picking up the casualty report Ren pondered over earlier.

“If I never came here, none of this would have happened,” she said. “Therefore, all the blood that was spilt, and any blood that may be spilt in the future, is on my hands.”

Ren opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but hesitated.

“… That’s not fair,” he let out, before changing the subject.

“You plan on fighting to defend yourself?” Ren asked, “Or something more.”

Ren glanced at Ginshi and widened his eyes in both surprise and awe.

With a tired yet unwavering smile, Ginshi nodded.

“A long time ago,” said she. “I saw ruined lands, cities burnt to the ground, the lives of people extinguished en-masse in an instant. I wanted to help people, but everything I did only brought jealousy and fear. I learned to keep a low profile, stay safe, but still help those around me in small but meaningful ways.”

Ginshi chuckled, a mix of regret and sarcasm seeping through as she did so.

“And yet,” she continued. “Here I am. Narrowly avoiding an attempt on my life because someone saw me as a threat again; this time I used people who took care of me as a shield.”

She turned to face Ren.

“I’m done hiding,” she stated. “I’m tired of seeing the world suffer in all of this chaos, and I’m tired of being unable to do anything about it. If I have to destroy the world as we know it to help everyone, so be it.”

Ren, his eyes still wide, drew a breath of amazement.

(Those eyes again) he thought. (There’s determination burning in those eyes again, and it doesn't look like they will go out any time soon)

Images flashed in the back of Ren’s mind. Famine-stricken peasants, cities laid to waste, officials abusing the people as punishment for the most minor offenses. He saw soldiers burst into his home, laying waste to everything in sight, and violate his mother in front of his eyes as he cowered in hiding in a closet.

And he saw an army, an army of the masses, himself among them, surging forward in the hope of doing something to change all that. An army led by an nine-pointed star.

Ren sighed as he returned his attention to the documents at hand.

“How can I help?” said he.

Ginshi, hearing this, widened her eyes.

Those red eyes, burning with determination, now also glowed with what looked like hope.

“Are you really sure…?” Ginshi asked, to which Ren scoffed.

“How many times do we need to have this conversation, Princess,” said he. “You already know the answer.”

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Duchy of Burin, Unsei (雲星) County
Unsei Castle City, Capitol City of the Duchy of Burin
Palace of Eternal Joy

“What!?” a loud voice exclaimed. “They failed!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘THEY FAILED!?’”

A young man, dressed in gold-trimmed silk purple robes, kicked a vase off its stand in clear frustration, causing the vase to shatter into pieces.

“You told me this plan would succeed, regent!” the man yelled. “The garrison of Hairyu County is only three hundred or so, you said! They are no match against an army of more than eight thousand, you said! Yet you tell me they failed!?”

Before the young man stood an older man, perhaps in his late forties or early fifties and also clad in elegant robes like his master, shallowly bowing at the young man.

“Your anger is justified, my liege, Prince Mouren,” said the older man. “The reports claim a formidable army intercepted the bandit force sent by you, defeating the bandits in the subsequent battle.”

The old man’s liege, Prince Li Mouren (李 猛煉), scoffed at this explanation.

“And how do you say my dear little sister managed to amass an army of such size and capability so quickly, Count of En?” said he, his voice dripping with rage and sarcasm. “Or do you say she conjured up an army out of thin air!?”

Gi Gaikan (魏 害冠), Count of En (袁) County and one of the Three Ducal Regents of the Duchy of Burin, simply shook his head.

“An army needs time to gather its strength,” said he. “But a peasant mob can be summoned in an instant.”

“You say a peasant mob defeated the bandits you sent?” Mouren said. “The bandits you sent, being former mercenaries, should be no pushovers. I do not see how they can be easily defeated by a mob.”

“That is true, if it is merely a peasant mob,” Gaikan replied. “But a peasant mob with guns can punch far above their weight.”

“Hmm,” Mouren uttered, his rage seemingly subsiding somewhat. “That begs the question of where the guns came from...”

“Your highness,” Gaikan said, inadvertently cutting his liege off. “If I may, the origin of the weapons used matters not. What matters is that Hairyu County gathered these weapons without authorization from the court.”

Gaikan snickered before he continued his idea.

“With the bandits we sent defeated,” said he, “our enemies have made their unapproved buildup public; what they originally intended to do with those weapons is irrelevant.”

Mouren widened his eyes in realization.

“So, you are saying,” said he. “I can brand the governor a criminal for building up this stockpile of arms and demand he turn the weapons in. If the governor accepts, we gain a large influx of arms and the army protecting my sister evaporates, allowing us to capture her without resistance. If the governor refuses, we have the perfect excuse to march an army into Hairyu County anyway.”

Mouren stroked his non-existent goatee in satisfaction.

“Yes, this should do brilliantly,” said he. “Gaikan.”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Begin preparations.”

“... Should we not discuss the matter with your other siblings? If we do, we can add more legal weight to sending troops.”

Mouren pondered the idea for a moment, before shaking his head.

“No,” said he. “We cannot give up our initiative. I must make it clear to my siblings that it is I who is in control, not them.”

Gaikan hesitated before bowing.

“As you wish, my liege.”

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Seventh Year of the Sonwa Era
Second Moon, Twentieth Day
Hairyu County, Hairyu Castle

Governor Shou groaned in frustration as he read a letter recently delivered to him.

To his left sat Ginshi, her bandages now gone and wearing a set of slightly higher quality silk robes lent to her by the castle garrison; to his right sat Ren, a pile of papers at his side.

“Is it another letter from the ducal court?” Ren asked, to which Shou simply nodded.

“‘Disband the army and hand over all weapons,’ they said,” said Shou. “Otherwise, they’ll send an army over to force the issue.”

“Did they say a deadline?” Ginshi asked.

“One month,” Shou replied. “If they don’t hear from us by then, they attack us.”

Shou handed the letter to Ginshi.

“Signed and sealed by your brother,” Shou said.

Ginshi perked her ears up at this.

“Just by Brother Mouren?” she wondered. “No one else?”

Shou shook his head in response.

Ginshi nodded as she read through the letter before shifting her gaze to Ren.

“Any ideas?” she asked. Ren responded by tapping on the stack of papers next to him.

“Actually,” said he. “I have three. But all of them have a problem.”

Ren stared intently into Ginshi’s eyes.

“No matter our choice, there’s going to be war,” he stated. “Blood will be spilt, both on your hands and mine. So, I’m going to ask you one last time; Are you sure about this?”

Ginshi, with barely a moment’s hesitation, nodded in response.

Ren sighed before handing Ginshi the papers.

“Governor Shou,” Ren said. “Just in case, can you ask the volunteers if they are willing to stay enlisted for at least another two years? I’m sure they’re more than willing to defend their homes, but they might refuse if they're told they’ll become an expeditionary force.”

Governor Shou, hearing this, widened his eyes.

“An ‘Expeditionary Force’ you say...?” said he. “You’re not planning on attacking Prince Mouren first, are you?”

Ren shook his head before gesturing towards Ginshi.

“Ask her,” said he.

Ginshi, after reading through the three plans submitted to her by Ren, sighed before raising the papers containing one of the plans.

“To answer your question, Governor,” said she. “That is exactly what I plan to do.”