Novel The Great Game - The Young Master (Ch.308) [finished]

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by rdawv, Apr 20, 2016.

  1. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    This chapter is admittedly very uneven due to my condition. Having a lump of red and gray in the back of one's mouth where a molar used to be can be very disconcerting.

    ---

    “A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories.”
    --Will Bloom, ‘Big Fish’ (2003)


    Chapter 186 – The surrender (3)

    Shadowy figures crept in Huang Ming’s residence. There were only a few guards as the rest of his men were already deployed as part of Beihai’s makeshift defence force.


    As expected, Huang Ming’s study was still lit by candlelight. The intruder easily bypassed the gaps in the security to head directly to his quarry.


    The intruder poked a hole in the paper window, and after making sure that their target was alone; confidently strode into the room.


    Huang Ming was bent over his desk, pouring over the documents and reports. The candlelight seemed to highlight the dark rings around his eyes and frayed hair-do.


    “Put the tea over there, Miss Xilei. You can go turn in for the night,” he mumbled.


    “I’m not Xilei,” a menacing voice replied.


    Huang Ming looked up from his documents in surprise.


    “You are…?” he asked slowly.


    “Your nightmare,” the intruder chuckled hoarsely.


    Songdan emerged from the shadows, a gleaming dagger in his hand. The long hair covering half of his face fluttered in the night breeze, occasionally revealing glimpses of the scarred visage beneath.


    Contrary to expectations, Huang Ming merely leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers in a relaxed gesture.


    “Well, about time you showed up. Is there only one of you? I must say that I’m a little disappointed,” he said calmly.


    Songdan was astonished, then furious. “Don’t try to play the cool customer,” the gloomy man said, his dagger gleaming in the candlelight.


    “I’m not, I am actually very frightened,” Huang Ming said, shaking his head.


    “You do not look like it,” Songdan said. Already suspicious of Huang Ming’s nonchalance, his eyes darted around to room to spot an ambush.


    Huang Ming waved a hand lazily. “Stop that, you’re embarrassing yourself. Surely you realized the lack of guards on your way here? It was on purpose.”


    Songdan gripped his dagger tighter. “So, it’s a trap!” he hissed. He made as if he was readying to attack Huang Ming.


    “What? No, I did it to make it easier for you!” Huang Ming said hastily.


    It was so unexpected that Songdan nearly stumbled.


    “I had thought you Jins would have approached me earlier,” Huang Ming continued.


    Songdan’s visible eye glared at the relaxed young man. He had never been agreeable to idea of kidnapping Huang Ming, only his loyalty to the Princess of Jin made him grudgingly acquiesce.


    “What do you mean?” he demanded.


    It was Huang Ming’s turn to look around warily. In a lowered voice, he said:


    “I wish to defect!”


    For a few pregnant seconds, Songdan stared at him incredulously. Then the visible part of his face twisted in fury.


    “Do you take me for a fool!” he growled.


    “I assure you, this is no trick,” Huang Ming said. “I am very serious. I can’t take it any longer.”


    “Take what?” Songdan asked suspiciously.


    “Do you think it was a coincidence that Beihai’s defences are stripped bare? It was a concentrated ploy to kill me!” Huang Ming replied.


    “You seem to be doing well enough,” Songdan sneered.


    “Have you taken a good look at my face? It’s not as handsome as usual! I’m aging faster than I like it to be!” Huang Ming said indignantly, seemingly unaware that the Jin spy before him was especially sensitive to matters about facial appearance due to his own disfigured looks.


    Songdan’s temper threatened to explode, but Huang Ming continued to rant.


    “All I wanted was to stay home and enjoy a leisurely life, but people keep pushing me into doing things that I do not want! Do you really think I want to be up here in this forsaken cold?”


    He threw up his hands in exasperation.


    “Then why are you here? With your prestige, you could have done anything you wish,” Songdan snarled.


    “Have you tried offending your king?” Huang Ming asked.


    “What do you mean?”


    “He wanted to marry off his daughter to me, I refused. Why else do you think I was ‘rewarded’ with a promotion to this place?”


    “You were offered the hand of Princess Wu Liying? Why did you refuse?” Songdan asked.


    Huang Ming paused for dramatic effect.


    “She’s ugly,” he said.


    Songdan glared at him. “Liar! The Princess Wu Liying is said to be a fair maiden, full of life and spirit.”


    “I bet that is from your spy reports. Have you actually seen her?” Huang Ming sneered. “Besides, I did not mean her appearance. It is her personality that is ugly.”


    “What the hell do you mean?”


    Huang Ming’s voice dropped lower and he cupped a hand over his mouth.


    “She likes women!”


    “What?” Songdan was so shocked that he nearly dropped his dagger.


    “She was far more interested in the War Goddess Zhao Sunli than she was with me,” Huang Ming said in a gossiping tone.


    Songdan’s good eye narrowed at the mention of the Amazon.


    “You say you want to defect, but our intelligence indicate that you have far too many ties in Wu. Your entire family, for instance,” he said.


    Huang Ming sighed. “And that is why I have to go. Do you think it is coincidence that Beihai is stripped bare of defences right when I am transferred here?”


    “Do you mean to tell me that the king sent you out here to die, and is sacrificing an entire city to do so?” Songdan scoffed disbelievingly.


    “Of course not,” Huang Ming fired back. “I had offended your Jin ambassador, he was dangling me out here with no protection to tempt sabotage in retaliation. He never expected for an outright military invasion.”


    “Then why did he move so many troops away?” Songdan demanded.


    “The king didn’t. It was General Yin’s idea,” Huang Ming said bitterly.


    “Oh?”


    Once again Huang Ming leaned in conspiratorially with the same cupping motion.


    “He’s obsessed with the War Goddess!” he whispered.


    Songdan stabbed his dagger angrily into Huang Ming’s desk. With his other hand he grabbed a handful of Huang Ming’s shirt.


    “Is this some sort of third-rate drama you’re spinning?” he hissed in his face.


    Huang Ming held up his hands. “No, I’m telling the truth! You spies are so preoccupied about me that you have completely neglected about General Yin and Zhao Sunli. He personally requested her to be his aide in the capital, and then deliberately brought her here to rub it in my face.”


    Songdan released his hold on Huang Ming’s clothes. “But why?”


    Huang Ming spread his hands smugly. “The general likes her, but she likes me!”


    Something in Songdan snapped, and he jerked the dagger up from the desk to thrust it at Huang Ming.


    The truths he cloaked,
    The dagger he provoked.
     
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  2. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Unedited.

    ****

    “When someone tells you it’s your lucky day, something bad is about to happen.”
    --Terry Pratchett, ‘Jingo’


    Chapter 187 – The surrender (4)

    Songdan had pulled the dagger up from the desk and thrust it towards Huang Ming in one swift motion, yet serendipitously his target was unharmed. In an incredible stroke of luck, Huang Ming had rose from his seat and made his way to the window to completely avoid the stab. In fact, it seemed that he was completely unaware that Songdan had attempted to kill him, for he turned his back to the Jin spy to stare out at the moonlight.


    “What can I say? I have a pretty face,” Huang Ming sighed dramatically as he gazed at the moon above; completely oblivious to Songdan’s murderous intent.


    By now the Jin spy was red in the face. Huang Ming’s nonchalance and constant harping on his appearance had thoroughly tweaked Songdan’s heart. His disfigured face was a sore point which Huang Ming had inadvertently irritated. The gloomy man raised his dagger once again to stab at Huang Ming’s unprotected back.


    And again, as if once more by pure coincidence; Huang Ming evaded his attempt entirely. Huang Ming has ghosted away from the window and Songdan’s nearly launched himself out of the resulting space. In his effort to stop himself from an ignominious tumble and because of his grip on his dagger, he slammed his fingers on the windowsill. His mouth opened in a silent scream, and it took all of his willpower not to jump around in pain.


    Meanwhile, Huang Ming had strolled elsewhere to run his own fingers wistfully along a shelf full of documents and books, still ignorant of Songdan’s predicament.


    “Look at this, I’m surrounded by paperwork when I should be drowning myself in wine and women!” he complained as he wiped off the dust from his hands. He then turned around to see Songdan whose face was in the throes of anguish.


    “What’s wrong?” Huang Ming asked in concern.


    The abashed Songdan could only grit his teeth to suppress his self-inflicted agony and humiliation.


    “You said you want to defect?” he hissed as he tried his best to maintain a threatening presence with his dagger.


    Huang Ming beamed. “Yes! Oh, I’ll miss my family, but they are steering me on a path of the straight and narrow. Did you know that they want me to be an official? Can you imagine me crunching numbers and judging cases? How dreary!”


    “Then what is it that you want to do?” Songdan asked.


    “Eat! Drink! Man! Woman!” Huang Ming intoned.


    Songdan drew back a little. “So you are that hedonistic?”


    “How is that hedonistic?” Huang Ming countered immediately. “I only want to be true to my nature: to enjoy the best wines and the most delicious of foods with a group of worthy brothers; surrounded by beautiful women! These are basic human desires, no one can avoid or resist them. It’s all that I have ever done.”


    Songdan recalled the background of the young man before him. He was inwardly elated: he had been scornful of Huang Ming ever since the Princess of Jin had expressed her interest in the news regarding the young scholar. Perhaps he had been jealous that the princess was again distracted by another talent; perhaps he was already doubtful of the unbelievable stories surrounding Huang Ming. But it was Huang Ming’s ready admission of the superficial that cemented Songdan’s low opinion of him.


    “And you think you can get all that in Jin?” Songdan asked, his voice dripping with contempt.


    Huang Ming blinked. “Well, why wouldn’t I? Am I not famous?”


    Songdan’s lips rose sardonically. “You have a high opinion of yourself,” he said.


    “You’re the one who sneaked in here with evil intentions,” Huang Ming pointed out.


    The Jin spy paused, reminded of his mission. “What makes you think I’m not here just to kill you to capture this city?” he said.


    Huang Ming waved a hand dismissively. “Pshaw. I’m planning to give the city away in a few days anyway, I just haven’t found the right way to approach your army outside.”


    Despite his suspicions, Songdan was intrigued. “What do you mean?”


    Huang Ming pointed to his desk. “I wrote a letter a few days ago. Look underneath the pile.”


    Still keeping a firm grip on his dagger, Songdan warily approached the desk. He knocked over the pile of documents and grabbed the last one to read.


    It was Huang Ming’s letter of surrender, offering to throw open the city in exchange for certain rewards.


    Songdan’s eye narrowed. “Even children will not be fooled by this trick,” he sneered.


    Huang Ming pointed at him in an ‘aha!’ moment. “See? That is what I meant when I said I haven’t found a way to approach your forces. You people simply won’t believe me!”


    “How am I suppose to believe you if you did not put a time for your offer to open the gates?” Songdan demanded.


    “I’m a scholar, not a mystic,” Huang Ming bristled. “Do you think I can tell the future? General Yin said reinforcements could arrive in thirty days in the event of an emergency, I don’t know if he will rush to save the city or leave my ass in the wind. He may report to everyone that I ‘died defending Beihai’ after taking his own sweet time coming here... one way or another. That is why I can’t specify a time to surrender.”


    Songdan pursed his lips, grudgingly accepting the argument.


    In other circumstances, Songdan would have ignored Huang Ming’s voice and kidnapped him as planned. But the way Huang Ming had rubbed him off the wrong way made Songdan disdainful of him. Why was the Princess of Jin so interested in this man who is all mouth and luck?


    Songdan’s thought process became warped, especially after his stupid failures to attack Huang Ming. Perhaps this was his chance to rise in the eyes of the Princess. How pleased would she be if he could secure both Huang Ming and the city of Beihai?


    “Then, what do you propose?” he asked slowly.


    “Simple. Warn your army that reinforcements might be coming. They should send some scouts to ensure they don’t get ambushed by General Yin,” Huang Ming said.


    “And then?”


    “If they are indeed coming, you Jins have plenty of warning to retreat in good order,” Huang Ming continued.


    “How convenient. If you’re losing, you’re going to surrender. If help is arriving, you plan to hold out?” Songdan said scornfully.


    “I have no way of knowing General Yin is even on his way here or not. I can only hold out for thirty days, of which the end is fast expiring anyway.” Huang Ming reminded him.


    “Not fast enough. There is an entire week before the thirty days.”


    Huang Ming frowned. “Then, five days,” he offered.


    “Three days,” Songdan replied, holding up three fingers. “You will open the gates in three days, regardless whether General Yin is coming or not. Only after you open the gates in three days will we guarantee you asylum in Jin.”


    “Why would you still want the city if General Yin is coming with reinforcements?” Huang Ming asked.


    “If we cannot have Beihai, neither can Wu!” Songdan growled. “We will raze this city to the ground, and let General Yin find nothing but ruins. Beihai will no longer be an obstacle to our southward march in the future!”


    Huang Ming swallowed. “I can give you the city, but spare the people. Give them a way out.”


    “It’s either you or them. Choose!” Songdan snarled.


    Huang Ming slumped.


    “Fine. Three days it is.”

    Gift of the gab,
    Promising a gift to be grabbed.
     
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  3. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    --Unedited--

    ---

    “You are fake news!”
    --Donald Trump


    Chapter 188 – The surrender (5)

    Despite Huang Ming’s promise, Songdan was still suspicious. After some back and forth negotiations, Songdan escorted Huang Ming to the top of the city walls and providing encouragements with the point of his dagger.


    Left with no choice, Huang Ming was forced to lead the way. His presence allowed Songdan to have easy access to the battlements, just like what Xilei had done for him previously. Songdan affixed his personal wax seal of his insignia on Huang Ming’s letter of surrender and tied a small bell to it. Songdan then shot the arrow-letter towards the Jin camp.


    “You could have done this yourself, I have already signed the letter,” Huang Ming grumbled later.


    “I wanted to look you in the eyes as you did it. To see if you really meant it,” Songdan replied. Inwardly Songdan was annoyed that he did not detect any hint of deceit from Huang Ming. Yet Songdan was also exulting at the fact that he was going to achieve what the Jin army outside could not: opening the gates of Beihai.


    Huang Ming shrugged. “Well, since I’m not dead yet, I think you are satisfied. In any event, your Jin friends have three days to suss out whether General Yin is coming.”


    They waited atop the battlements, their eyes straining in the night towards the Jin camps for signs of movement. Within the hour, they could make out the distant lights of torches begin to stir. A dark mass of vague shapes began to leave the Jin camps, and both Huang Ming and Songdan knew it was a sign that the Jins have received the arrow-letter.


    “Well, that’s done. Now let me go home and get some sleep,” Huang Ming said.


    He moved to return to his residence, only to see Songdan following him closely in the deserted streets.


    “What are you doing?” he asked the Jin spy with a frown.


    “I am not letting you out of my sight,” Songdan said menacingly.


    Huang Ming stared at him and leaned back warily.


    “I am not into men,” he said with a tremor.


    It took all of Songdan’s self-control so as not to stumble in mid-step.


    “I meant to keep an eye on you to make sure there is no funny business,” Songdan growled as he felt the veins on his face pulse.


    Huang Ming grinned. “Funny business? You mean, like this?” he asked brightly.


    He snapped his fingers: a loud sound in the quiet of the night.


    It was a distinct signal and torches were suddenly lit, lighting up the area. A dozen or so Wu soldiers led by the grizzled White Wolf veteran appeared, their military weapons gleaming in the moonlight.


    Songdan brandished his dagger but the situation was hopeless. The Wu soldiers quickly overpowered him before he could take his own life, forcing him to kneel.


    He glared hatefully at Huang Ming. The fracas had exposed the hideously half of his face, the fury twisting the scars and veins in a ghoulish manner.


    “You tricked me!” Songdan howled. He had expected deceit, but perhaps his ambitions to score merit and to promote himself to the Princess of Jin had given him hope beyond hope.


    “But of course. Did you really not expect it?” Huang Ming returned.


    “You could have captured me at any time? Then why the deception?” Songdan asked in anguish, his chest full of regret that he did not simply use his dagger to eliminate this foreign distraction that was occupying the attention of his princess.


    “I needed you to deliver the letter, I wasn’t sure how it was going to be done,” Huang Ming shrugged.


    Songdan’s shoulders slumped, but the anger in his eyes still smouldered. “You are still outnumbered, there are still breaches in your wall! What is the point of three measly days?”


    “And thanks to your wax seal of authenticity, one little letter has gained me three days free from molestation. Though, I would have preferred five,” Huang Ming said nonchalantly.


    “Do you really think you can repair the walls in three days?” Songdan barked harshly.


    “Who said anything about repairing them?” Huang Ming laughed.


    This time even his White Wolf bodyguard was puzzled “Eh? We’re not?” the grizzled veteran asked in lieu of Songdan.


    “No, we’re not,” Huang Ming affirmed.


    Songdan was astonished, but soon it was replaced by bitterness. “Such a simple trick,” he muttered, furious with the duplicity.


    “Well, technically you were not tricked. I will open the gates three days later,” Huang Ming reminded him.


    “Ah. You plan to lure the Jins into a trap?” the White Wolf veteran asked.


    Huang Ming shrugged. “Who knows? I haven’t decided yet.”


    All those present had their mouths agape.


    “Hey, this is war, not a weather forecast. Things can change from day to day,” Huang Ming said defensively.


    “Be honest, you have no idea what to do, do you?” his bodyguard guffawed.


    “You’re right, I’m making it up as I go along,” Huang Ming confided, and the soldiers laughed.


    “How could I have been tricked by you…” Songdan despaired.


    “How could you not? Look at yourself, your face basically screams ‘I’m a villain’, whereas I am ruggedly handsome and have all the features of a great hero,” Huang Ming scoffed.


    Songdan exploded in a paroxysm of invectives, and the soldiers had to stuff his mouth with a cloth to cut off his stream of curses towards Huang Ming. Even the rough and tumble White Wolf leader was annoyed by the colour of Songdan’s language, and bade his men to take him away.


    “Now that the spy is gone, what do you have planned?” the veteran asked Huang Ming with his brows furrowed.


    “Relax, it’s all on schedule,” Huang Ming said. “Have you caught the malcontent?”


    His bodyguard nodded. “Sir Quan Lu led us straight to them. As you suspected, they are mostly the formerly rich and powerful of the city, they bear a grudge against your seizure of their wealth.”


    “Mm, I provoked them. But it was necessary to prepare for this. The main thing about money is that it makes you do things you don’t want to do,” Huang Ming quoted wistfully.


    “What about Miss Xilei?” the older man asked.


    “Quan Lu will know what to do,” Huang Ming replied.


    “If you say so,” The White Wolf veteran said hesitantly.


    Huang Ming smiled, knowing his doubts.


    “Don’t worry, he is more decisive than I am.”


    Nearly wrapped,
    A feather in one’s cap.
     
  4. shin chan

    shin chan Well-Known Member

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    Can someone help me I wanna pick up the story again but I don't know which chapter I left it at
    The last I read was the mc was in general Yin's domain while general Yin's was trying to flirt with sunli back at the Capital and ya sunli even gave general his family's sword
    Please help
     
  5. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    She gave him the sword in ch165 :)
     
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  6. shin chan

    shin chan Well-Known Member

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  7. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    A little darker, reflects my mood as the "finish the jobs before Chinese New Year" crunch time marches on...

    ------

    “Wicked tongues can be dangerous.”
    --Helga Lindstrom the Countess, ‘Triple Cross’ (1966)


    Chapter 189 – The surrender (6)

    In another part of Beihai, Xilei held the hand of Quan Lu as they raced through the dark alleys. They had just began a meeting with the discontented fallen nobles and merchants of Beihai when the doors suddenly burst open with Wu soldiers coming to arrest them. In the chaos, Xilei’s first thought was to grab hold of Quan Lu and run, leaving behind everything else.


    Even her colleague, the monk Elder Wu Zhi.


    “Looks like we have lost them,” Xilei said as they stopped for a breather.


    “Well, that was unexpected,” Quan Lu said, a wrinkle on his handsome brow.


    Xilei was chagrined to have disappointed him. She had planned to propose the capture of Huang Ming and to prop Quan Lu as the figurehead of Beihai. He would then negotiate the surrender of the city to the army outside, after which he would follow her back to Jin. After scoring such merit and pleasing the Princess of Jin, they might even be rewarded with nobility, allowing them to retire in luxurious peace.


    In just a few moments, her dreams were shattered. Now they were on the run, and she could only hope that none of the Wu soldiers recognized her or Quan Lu being present in the meeting.


    “Do not worry, they have not seen us. We can still make this work,” Xilei soothed, even though her brows were lined with sweat, her bosom heaving laboriously.


    “Perhaps we should turn ourselves in,” Quan Lu suggested.


    “No! There is still a way,” Xilei said vehemently.


    “How so? Your confederates have been arrested,” Quan Lu frowned.


    Xilei shook her head. “Songdan may be a grouch, but he would not dare to fail the Princess of Jin. He will surely be able to seize Huang Ming. We can still use him to bargain for their freedom, or at the very least; buy our way out of the city.”


    “I doubt it. That raid was all too sudden, it is almost as if someone had leaked about the meeting to them,” Quan Lu said.


    “Impossible, we have vetted everyone!” Xilei insisted.


    “What about Songdan? How convenient that he is absent during the raid,” Quan Lu wondered.


    “Impossible,” Xilei interjected. “Though we have our personal disagreements, he would never betray the Princess of Jin.”


    “Why not?”


    “She had saved his life, and he owes everything to her,” Xilei explained.


    “Well, not that it matters now. Huang Ming surely must be aware of what had happened, and Songdan would not be successful,” Quan Lu said.


    Xilei bit her lips. “Perhaps if we act as if we have nothing to do with it? We can continue to hide in open sight.”


    “What about those that were arrested?” Quan Lu reminded her.


    Xilei turned pale, horrified that she had forgotten about them. “We must find a way to shut them all up, and quickly... Maybe I can visit the prison, and secretly feed them poison…” she muttered to herself, unaware that Quan Lu was looking at her with morbid fascination.


    “You can’t possibly get rid of all of them. Do you plan to poison the entire prison?” Quan Lu asked.


    “You’re right, that is too slow. We can set fire to the prison, and ensure that nobody escapes…” she said.


    Quan Lu can almost see the mad panic in her eyes.


    “What about Elder Wu Zhi? Will he expose us?” he asked slowly.


    “Never. He is the first of the princess’s servants, he would rather die than to betray her,” Xilei replied. “It is regrettable, but sacrifices have to be made. He would understand. Besides, he is already old and feeble,” she added resolutely.


    “There are ways of making people talk. Huang Ming has proven himself to be devilishly resourceful, even if the situation now is dire,” Quan Lu said.


    “He has a clever tongue, but he is out of his depth. I have spent days studying him and he would make a competent civil officer or assistant to a military administrator; but he falls short when shouldering the responsibility himself. It would seem all those stories about him are exaggerated to distract the people of Wu of their military disasters,” Xilei said dismissively.


    “But you said the Princess of Jin is interested in him,” Quan Lu pointed out.


    “Her highness is interested in many things,” Xilei responded. “Whenever she discovers something curious, she would go all out to study it. She finds the disparity between Huang Ming’s frivolous history and his current rise to be such a puzzle.”


    “Is that all? She has no plans for him?”


    Xilei smiled at him. “Are you jealous? While he is somewhat handsome, he is but a glow worm to your radiant moon. The princess would forget all about him once she laid her eyes on you.”


    Quan Lu’s own lips became crooked. “And are you not afraid that she would snatch me away?”


    Xilei chuckled. “No, the royal couple is very much in love with each other. Her highness might be distracted by you for a little while, but she would never compromise her relationship with the Prince of Jin. Besides, she is far too busy with her experiments and development programs.”


    “Such as those fire-breathing weapons you have mentioned,” Quan Lu said, and the Jin spy nodded.


    “She promised to fulfil our wishes when we had decided to follow her; I plan to ask for you when we return,” she said with a blush.


    “You have everything planned out, I see,” Quan Lu said.


    “Do you think of me as a brazen woman?” Xilei asked shyly.


    “If you were, I would not have such a difficult time getting to know you,” Quan Lu smirked as he pulled her close.


    Xilei’s eyes turned watery as she embraced him. She looked up at his handsome face, her mouth parted to speak…


    And then she suddenly feel a sharp blow to her neck, and darkness engulfed her.


    ‘Quan Lu’ sighed as he held the limp woman. Qiong Ying did not enjoy such subterfuge involving matters of the heart. While she had done so to squeeze the spy for information about the Princess of Jin, the romantic deception was still stomach-churning.


    Qiong Ying was very shaken when she saw just how blinded Xilei had become. The Jin spy’s willingness to silence her own compatriots was chilling, and it reminded her of the coldness in her sister Qiong Hua, nay, the Princess of Jin.


    “Maybe I should retire this disguise, it’s too dangerously effective. Curse myself for having a beautiful face and all the features of a heart-breaker,’ Qiong Ying mused to herself.

    Handsome couple,
    Both adept at hustle.
     
  8. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Delayed for further polishing of the chapter. The drafts were ugly.

    I wish my job wasn't affected by China... everything is hectic now with the CNY break coming soon.
     
  9. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Still rough, but didn't want to postpone any further.

    ---------------
    “Their defences have fallen, let the slaughter begin!”
    --Megatron, ‘Transformers the Animated Movie’


    Chapter 190 – Pyrrhic victory

    While Huang Ming was cleaning up the conspirators within Beihai, the Jin commander besieging the city was also busy. Though the Jin commander was desirous of completing his mission to capture the city, Huang Ming’s letter of surrender was too good to be true.


    Despite his misgivings, the Jin commander was more concerned about Huang Ming’s purported gesture of goodwill. The warning about General Yin was worrying enough: he had enough spy intelligence to know about the much talked about time of thirty days for Wu reinforcements to arrive.


    The Jin commander conferred with his senior commanders and came to a logical conclusion that the warning was too dire to ignore. What did it matter if Huang Ming was lying? Three days were short enough for a break, but not long enough for the Wu defenders within Beihai to fully repair the breaches in their walls. The Jin mounted archers have supremacy outside of the walls, they could ride to and fro to harry such measures.


    And if Huang Ming was telling the truth, then the Jins would have three days to scout, rest and prepare to counter the arriving Wu reinforcements anyway. Therefore he had a taskforce detached to scout for the Wu relief, and lure them away from Beihai if needed be.


    The Jins decided to accept the gamble that Huang Ming would indeed open the gates to surrender after three days. If he reneged on his word, they would proceed to continuously assault Beihai until the city falls. Having already incurred some losses and facing stiffer resistance than expected, the Jins did not relish the thought of a full-blooded assault against a determined foe while being flanked by enemy reinforcements.


    Thus the citizens and defenders of Beihai enjoyed a brief respite from combat. Three days were all too brief, but for many it gave them a much needed break.


    On the third day, the face of the Jin commander was blackened with anger. There were no signs that Huang Ming was going to fulfil his promise to surrender the city.


    Summoning what remained of his dignity, the Jin commander drew up his army before the city gates and demanded for Huang Ming to show up and explain himself.


    When the scholar finally showed his face atop the city walls, the Jin commander was struck by how young and scholarly his adversary was. It only added to the preconception that these ‘southerners’ were soft and crafty: bookish people who had their noses in the air with their minds full of deceit and treachery.


    “Huang Ming! What do you have to say for yourself!” the Jin commander hollered from just beyond bow range.


    “Whatever do you mean?” Huang Ming shouted back, and it all but confirmed the Jin’s suspicions that his enemy would remain just that: an enemy.


    “Three days! You promised to surrender today!” the Jin commander screamed, the veins on his neck bulging with fury as he waved Huang Ming’s letter in the air.


    Huang Ming paused and made a face full of exaggerated incredulity.


    “I was of course lying. Don’t tell me that you really believe in such a simple trick!” Huang Ming exclaimed in feigned shock, even as his Wu soldiers around him were trying to suppress their laughter. Only their helmets hid their grins, only their armor hid their shaking bellies.


    “You treacherous scum! I will have you skinned alive!” the Jin commander seethed.


    He ordered a frontal assault. The Jins attacked in waves, assaulting the city walls as well as via the breaches. After several volleys of arrow fire, the Wu defenders gave up the walls and fled into the city. The city gates were barricaded with all sorts of rubble: blocks of granite and heavy stone torn down from the houses of the rich, preventing them from being thrown open to the Jins.


    The wooden fencing which had been used as offensive spikes did not appear. The lack of resistance gave the impression that the Wu defenders were simply overwhelmed by the simultaneous attacks, and had given up on trying to plug the holes.


    The Jins bayed for blood and made their way towards the pagoda-like building.


    Yet when they poured deep into the city proper, they were confronted by a strange sight. The long wooden spikes that had impaled their previous attacks reappeared… but this time they were planted firmly into the ground and turned into proper wooden walls and fencing. Their towering heights giving the Jins a pause, for they had attacked with horse and foot. It was common practice that once the city walls had fallen, the population within would be at the invader’s mercy.


    But Huang Ming had built a wooden fort within the city, much to the astonishment of the Jin invaders. None of their intelligence reported the existence a defensive structure.


    They had no way of knowing that Huang Ming had instructed the citizens and soldiers of Beihai to build a crude but effective camp reminiscent of an ancient Roman castrum. The long wooden spikes were now converted into walls and ramparts, sealing off the streets and connecting existing structures carefully chosen for their sturdiness and strategic importance.


    What used to be mansions, shops and restaurants now became turret-like defensive buildings; their balconies and windows now providing ample avenues for the archers within to peek in and out to harass the Jins.


    How did he construct such a thing within the city so quickly? How did construction proceed unmolested, when they had bombarded them previously? Didn’t their spies tell them that they only needed to aim their siege weapons towards the great ‘Huang’ flag as it marked his pagoda headquarters? Why was his pagoda still standing in the middle of the wooden fort?


    Then they realized that the great flag which they had aimed for was actually tied to a gigantic tree in the middle of an empty plot of land, and their previous bombardment did nothing but some haphazard landscaping renovations. The stray shots had flattened some buildings; which only resulted in dead-ends and obstacles that hindered their movements in the city.


    The Jins were at a loss: they had finally defeated the city walls, only to be confronted with yet another layer of walls within. Furthermore, the innards of the city limited their movements, funnelling their efforts into carefully prepared kill zones and gauntlets of traps and harassment. There weren’t even any loot nor supplies to be found: every scrap had been taken away into the wooden fort by the people of Beihai.


    When told of this ridiculous scenario, the Jin commander flew into a rage.


    The situation had devolved into a strange circumstance: the Jins had control of the outskirts of the city, yet the Wu had built themselves a fortification within it.


    It was a ring within a ring.


    “Bring our siege weapons inside!”


    It meant dismantling the weapons, packing them into transports, pull it through the ruined streets of the city before reassembling them again for direct fire. Huang Ming’s night raid had destroyed the more portable cannons, and the Jin commander truly regretted their loss. It meant more time loss as the laborious process of transporting the siege weapons began. Seeing that it was fruitless to attack the wooden fort, the Jin commander instead sent more men to assist the engineers.


    They were still huffing and puffing for two days when war cries filled the air.


    The Jin commander despaired when he heard the sound. It was not the familiar Jin battle cry of ‘Ala-la-la-la-la-la!’, meaning that his detached taskforce had failed in its duty; perhaps it was even defeated.


    The dawn saw the arrival of the Wu reinforcements, and they came just as the Jins were still exhausted from assaulting the city. The Wu cavalry swept down like a torrent, crashing into the stunned Jins. Caught unprepared, the Jins died in droves as the Wu soldiers charged irresistibly.


    Numb at his predicament, the Jin commander did not know what to do. The worst scenario had came true: Half of his force were tied inside the city, while the other half was being slaughtered outside of it.


    He put no resistance even as his men broke and fled around him, scattering to the four winds. His splendid marten hat and thick furs marked him as an important figure and he was not able to escape; a Wu spear easily impaled him and then threw aside his corpse with almost contemptuous ease.


    Such great was the shock that none of the Jins noticed the one who had defeated their commander was a woman. Only later did they piece together reports and witness accounts that the woman was a valiant person in red and black armour; that her eyes blazed like fires against her dusky complexion.


    Who else could it be, but Zhao Sunli the War Goddess?


    This was the plan arranged by Huang Ming. In the garden that night, Huang Ming had gave her secret instructions. It was given in full view of Xilei, yet the spy would never know how it was done. All the spy saw was that Huang Ming had grabbed hold of Sunli’s hand and it infuriated the Amazon that she cleaved the rock in two with her sword.


    But it was all a drama, something that Huang Ming had told her to do by tapping on her palm the secret coded method that Qiong Ying had devised. They had remarked on the usefulness of such a method, and thus Qiong Ying had taught it to Huang Ming and Sunli.


    Huang Ming had told Sunli to act aggrieved to lull the Jin spies and had them deliver false impressions. Once she had left, she was to raise as many men as she could and rendezvous with General Li Jing to prepare for the Jin attack on Beihai. They were to wait until the Jins had committed themselves into a full assault on Beihai, so that their smaller force could then surprise the Jins and smite them at an opportune time.


    And thus Zhao Sunli led the Wu reinforcements this way and that, cutting the Jins down like they were harvesting wheat. After thoroughly routing the Jin forces outside, she then charged into the city and struck the Jin invaders from the rear while Huang Ming led his men out of the wooden fort.


    Attacked from both sides, the defeat of the Jins were total: only a pitiful remnant managed to flee.


    In the aftermath of the battle, Huang Ming greeted Zhao Sunli.


    “You’re a little late,” he said tiredly. All around them, the citizens of Beihai rejoiced.


    The Amazon only bit her lips and bowed her head.


    “Cheer up, you still arrived just in time to save us all,” Huang Ming said, thinking that she might feel chastened.


    She remained quiet, and the reinforcements that she brought were also without cheer. They did not have the airs of victorious soldiers, they were just as ragged and tired as the ordinary citizens who had endured nearly a month of being besieged.


    “What’s wrong? And where’s General Li Jing?” Huang Ming asked with concern.


    “It’s over. It’s all over,” Sunli said as her eyes reddened.


    Defeat in victory,
    A bitter turn in history.
     
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  10. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    I actually missed a chapter release! There goes my streak...

    ---

    “We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem.”
    --attributed to Lewis Burwell ‘Chesty’ Puller, USMC


    Chapter 191 – Troubles everywhere

    Despite the joy of the Beihai citizens, the mood of the relief soldiers brought by Zhao Sunli were sombre. They did not partake in the victory celebration, choosing instead to keep to themselves while the city were rejoicing over defeating the Jins. One might be forgiven to think that Zhao Sunli’s soldiers were ordered to stay vigilant for possible Jin retaliation; that they were stoic warriors who refused to let down their guard.


    Away from the prying eyes and jubilant crowd, the trio of Huang Ming, Qiong Ying and Zhao Sunli held conference.


    Huang Ming personally poured them some tea, ignoring the convention that females were to serve the men. Similarly the two women thought nothing strange about his gesture; they were already used to it. After all, they had even seen General Huang Zheng doing it for his wife.


    Despite his curiosity, Huang Ming told himself to be patient as Sunli wordlessly ignored the hot drink, her eyes almost glazed in a thousand-mile stare. The fire that had burned so fiercely in the battle now dimmed to almost nothing.


    There were still dust and dirt caked on her skin and clothing, as well as dried flecks of blood. Judging from her dried complexion and deepened wells on her eyes; Huang Ming knew that she had gone through an ordeal.


    Qiong Ying was still in her Quan Lu disguise, but allowed her hair down and loosened her clothes for relief. Instead of a devilishly handsome scholarly man, she now looked like a devilishly handsome valiant woman, reminding Huang Ming of those poorly disguised, cross-dressing swordswoman from television shows.


    Yet, even she seemed tired as she sipped at her tea gingerly.


    “How did the thing with the spy go?” Huang Ming asked her softly.


    A shadow passed over Qiong Ying face, and Huang Ming could see that the experience had not been pleasant.


    “It went well enough, considering how I had broke the heart of a woman helplessly in love. I have gotten some information, but I leery of repeating the deed. Let just say I plan for Quan Lu to have an ‘unfortunate accident’ soon, so that she might have some closure,” Qiong Ying said as she absent-mindedly turned her cup this and that way.


    Huang Ming blinked. “Oh? You’re suggesting to let her live?”


    “I have not decided yet,” Qiong Ying admitted. “Though it might be callous to say this, she might be useful in the future.”


    Huang Ming nodded in understanding, but Sunli chuckled hollowly.


    “Useful,” she mumbled as her eyes flickered at them. “I wonder if it was easy for you two to see others as tools,” she said, her voice growing in resentment.


    For a moment Huang Ming entertained the idea of facetiously saying ‘yes’. It was a common trope in fiction that any long-lived character would be jaded to the extent of being dehumanized, and there were times when Huang Ming felt completely detached from the fates of the characters that surrounded him.


    Before he had decided on his answer, Qiong Ying spoke up.


    “It was not ‘easy’,” she said coldly.


    It was like ice and fire when Huang Ming looked at the two women in his life.


    “You said it’s all over. What happened?” he asked Sunli.


    The Amazon took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “The siege here is just but one part of the Jin strike,” she answered grimly.


    Huang Ming frowned. “Though I anticipated a surprise attack here since it was so blatantly obvious, I didn’t expect it to be of a wider scale. Is that what happened to General Li Jing? He was ambushed?”


    Sunli nodded. “I got your message that night and I went to meet General Li before I left Beihai. We set a time and place to meet after I had left Beihai, but…”


    She paused, and finally decided to drain her cup of tea.


    “But?” Huang Ming prodded as he refilled her cup.


    “I was late to the meeting point, because I couldn’t get the Beihai veterans to myself. General Yin kept them as the escorts for the people who followed us. Since I had acted being annoyed by you the entire time, I told him that I needed to vent, and received permission to go on a hunt,” Sunli said.


    “‘Acted’?” Qiong Ying murmured doubtfully.


    Sunli ignored the subtle accusation. “I then rode to the meeting point, but General Li Jing was not there. But I saw signs of a recent battle, and followed a trail of corpses. General Li Jing did receive the reinforcements that you told him to get… but they were then attacked by Jin raiders.”


    “And General Li Jing himself?” Huang Ming asked.


    “Alive, but grievously wounded. Most of the reinforcements were decimated. In fact, the Jins attacked just as General Li had completed the handover. I had him being cared for by a kindly hermit in wilderness, since you had insisted that Beihai was a target.”


    “Which turned out to be right,” Huang Ming reminded her. “Still, that doesn’t explain your reaction. What do you mean by ‘it’s all over’?”


    Sunli sighed. “It is all over, because after I had gathered the surviving reinforcements, I received news that this siege in Beihai was but a sideshow.”


    “A sideshow? Thirty thousand men attacked this place, and it was a diversion?” Qiong Ying said in disbelief.


    “This is not like the western border, where any attack by Wei had to go through Tigertrap Pass,” Sunli told her. “Here in the open plains, the Jins can bypass Beihai. This was not done in the past because Beihai was a formidable threat. But thirty thousand men were more than enough to surround Beihai in its weakened state.”


    “How far have they gone?” Huang Ming asked quietly.


    “Fortunately, they haven’t gone too deep into our country. But they are repeating what we had done in Wei by razing and raiding the entire length of our borders,” Sunli replied.


    But Huang Ming was less optimistic. “Did General Yin took charge and prevented the Jins from going towards our capital? That is why Beihai did not receive any help or news: he is too busy organizing the defences of everywhere else.”


    “You are right,” Sunli said, albeit reluctantly.


    “That doesn’t sound too bad, all considering he is preventing the Jins from conquering the rest of the country,” Qiong Ying said, playing the advocate.


    Huang Ming shook his head. “We haven’t heard everything,” he said. He looked at Sunli in the eyes. “You’re telling us that the Jins are being stymied by General Yin, yet you said this place was just a sideshow.”


    Sunli nodded grimly.


    “It’s a simultaneous attack. From the south, the state of Chu had crossed the river with a force of fifty thousand. Two of our cities have already capitulated, and most of our forces have been sent to try and stop them.”


    “What else?” Huang Ming asked, sensing it wasn’t the end. Fifty thousand men were still manageable, after all Wu themselves had thrown a hundred thousand soldiers at Wei previously.


    Sunli did not waver from his gaze.


    “From the west, Wei is attacking through Tigertrap Pass once more. I couldn’t get more information, but last I heard your father and brother are still holed up in Tigertrap Fort.”

    Hemmed in at all sides,
    Three countries seek to divide.
     
  11. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    It's the Chinese New Year!

    I'll try to post a chapter this week but with the house welcoming visitors it would be very late.
     
  12. shin chan

    shin chan Well-Known Member

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    I don't know if you are busy with real life
    But I was hoping to ask about the next chapter
     
  13. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Apologies for the delays. My family being traditionalists meant the entirety of the festivities were observed. While Google is more than happy to tell you that Chinese New Year is merely two days, conservatives will tell you it's actually for three whole weeks...

    ***

    “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”
    --The Shadow


    Chapter 192 – Doubts and motivations

    Sunli expected Huang Ming to be distressed, but the young man remained calm. He cupped his chin in quiet thought, slowly digesting the dire news that she had brought.


    Eventually Huang Ming exhaled heavily.


    “Well, that sucks,” he muttered.


    “How can you be so casual at a time like this?” Sunli fumed, her voice tinged with anger. Once she had heard the ill tidings, it became a burden that weighed heavily on her shoulders; not knowing how Huang Ming would react. Yet the recipient seemed unperturbed by the scale of the disaster.


    “Would you prefer me to wail and run around like a headless chicken?” Huang Ming asked mildly.


    “Of course not!” Sunli fired back. She crossed her arms and sat back down in a huff, more annoyed at her loss of composure than with Huang Ming.


    “You seem calm enough. Do you have a plan?” Qiong Ying cut in.


    Huang Ming shrugged and raised a palm to ask for patience.


    “Let’s back up a little. First we need to make sure that this crisis is real,” he said.


    “What is that supposed to mean? Do you think I’m lying?” Sunli demanded, her nostrils flaring with outrage.


    “That is not what I said. What I meant was that you might be tricked into spreading fake news. Think about the vast distances involved, how did you get the news so quickly? Our families would have sent word directly to us if there was an attack by Wei, long before it was going to be reported to the capital and then to you,” Huang Ming reasoned.


    Sunli’s mouth opened, but the protest died in her throat. She already had doubts about the matter, but the dire nature of the news overrode her misgivings.


    “And that’s not it. You said General Li Jing was wounded, did you actually see how it happened?” Huang Ming continued.


    The Amazon stared at him in disbelief. “Now you’re suspecting General Li too? But you sent him to pick up the reinforcements yourself!”


    “Bear with me here,” Huang Ming smiled indulgently at her.


    Sunli suppressed the urge to complain. “Of course I didn’t see it happen. I arrived at the tail end of the skirmish.”


    “Don’t you find it all too coincidental? You managed to wriggle an excuse to get away from General Yin, only to find General Li at his deathbed?”


    Sunli pursed her lips in a thin line. “But he did receive the reinforcements, I brought them here myself,” she pointed out.


    Huang Ming raised a finger. “Firstly, he was sent ages ago. If the reinforcements were late in coming, he could have sent word back to me, long before the Jins attacked Beihai. Secondly, if he did receive the reinforcements timely, why did they not immediately return to Beihai?”


    “Maybe the Jin ambush prevented him,” Sunli argued.


    “And how did the Jins know exactly when to strike?” Huang Ming countered. “Let me make a wild guess here: You didn’t see Li Jing’s wounds, but he was already bandaged up by his aides who miraculously survived the battle.”


    Her silence made known her inability to answer.


    “But what does that mean?” Qiong Ying asked slowly.


    Huang Ming shrugged. “General Li could be working for the Jins,” he said, causing the two women to gasp.


    “Or, more likely; he is working for General Yin all along,” he continued.


    “Why… Why would General Yin do all this?” Sunli asked in bewilderment.


    “Why not?” Huang Ming returned. “You have this image of him that he is a bulwark of the nation, a selfless person from a family of patriots. Yet his entire family have been embroiled by tragedies, and General Yin Yanzhao is the last of his line. There is nothing left in Wu to tie him down.”


    “That can’t be!” Sunli said vehemently. “His entire family fought against the Jins, they fought to their deaths!”


    “And where were they buried?” Huang Ming reminded her. “Out in the steppes, with nary a memorial or an honour guard.”


    “Ah. The Jin spy…” Qiong Ying spoke up. Seeing Sunli’s confusion, she quickly explained the cover used by Miss Xilei. “The only person guarding the tombs of the Yin clan was a Jin spy. And bear in mind that it was General Yin who sent her there.”


    Huang Ming saw Sunli’s face and took pity on her. “I understand that you find it difficult when it is happening right before you. But real life is not like the history books: people have feelings and selfish motivations. Real people are not as simplified as in the historical books, where famous characters can be described with a single virtue.”


    “I… I just don’t think it’s possible. You are saying that the North Star is a traitor…” Sunli mumbled. “His father was killed in a Jin ambush, why would he join forces with them? You keep painting a picture of a grand conspiracy by General Yin, but what’s the point in all this?”


    “Let’s think this through. Suppose the fact of a three-pronged invasion is true, what is the logical step for Beihai?” Huang Ming asked rhetorically.


    Sunli frowned as she weighed the facts. “You would need to evacuate the city. Though you have scored a victory here, your lack of supplies meant it would be difficult to hold Beihai against another determined attempt.”


    Huang Ming nodded in approval. “And what do you think would happen to me if I ordered the city to be abandoned, only to find out that the news was untrue?” he asked.


    Sunli’s mouth closed.


    “...Then you’ll be the one labelled as a traitor. Or incompetent,” Qiong Ying answered for her.


    “Surely the king would know better!” Sunli exclaimed.


    “The king just recently regained his authority, and I don’t think it would be far-fetched to assume that he might be afraid of another Marshal Gao Fang or Prime Minister Tong Xuan. I may have achieved some credit, but it is also true that we Huangs have been too prominent lately.”


    Then Huang Ming smirked. “Did you know that we could have been labelled as traitors if Princess Wu Liying had succeeded in mobilizing my father?” he asked conversationally.


    “What do you mean?”


    Huang Ming said, “At the peak of the troubles, before Gao Fang foolishly led the invasion into Wei; Princess Wu Liying wrote a letter to my father urging him to raise an army to the capital and capture those two villains. She did not consider that doing so would rip the country apart in a civil war. If indeed that had happened, there would be endless accusations on who would be the traitors then.”


    Huang Ming sighed. He was still annoyed by the princess’s letter written in blood. Had he not intervened, the Huang family would be responsible for plunging the entire kingdom into chaos.


    “It goes to show that even a well-meaning person like Princess Wu Liying could have caused a disturbance; let alone Yin Yanzhao who has more than ample reasons to do what he did.”


    “What reasons?”


    “Who knows? Maybe he was turned. Maybe he thinks the old kings of Wu were responsible for the various tragedies that befell his clan. But I believe the turning point was when his wife, his father and the previous governor of Beihai all died in the same year,” Huang Ming said.


    His eyes looked up at the moon above them. It hung gloomily in the night sky, as if its glow was diminished by the celebratory lights of the city of Beihai.


    “Men have done many terrible things throughout history, and the reasons they have embarked on such destructive agendas are often not explained,” Huang Ming said softly.


    In the capital of Wu, a lonesome General Yin Yanzhao was looking up at the same moon, his thoughts just as murky as the ink-like sky.


    There was a discreet knock at his door and a shadowy subordinate entered the room.


    “Huang Ming has defeated the Jin siege at Beihai,” the underling reported.


    “As expected. The young man is much too clever for his own good,” Yin Yanzhao said coldly.

    The same sky,
    A myriad reasons why.
     
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  14. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    This chapter was mostly written well in advance before some changes in direction, and thus I might not have caught the holes that might have resulted thereof. Apologies if it is confusing or lacking.

    ***

    “I just wanted to be extremely clear so that everyone knows what's going on at any given time.”
    --Basil Exposition


    Chapter 193 – The general’s past

    “There are no signs that Huang Ming is evacuating Beihai,” the subordinate continued.


    Yin Yanzhao smiled. “Disappointing, but not unexpected.”


    “My apologies general, but does this not affect your planning?” the subordinate ventured to ask.


    Yin Yanzhao waved a hand dismissively. “No amount of planning can provide full certainty. In retrospect this move in trying to trick him to abandon Beihai and thus implicate himself was ambitious and extravagant.”


    The subordinate did not respond to his remark, yet General Yin could see that he was uneasy.


    “You are worried? You are probably wondering why I am so relaxed when the one pitfall in my path is still a hazard,” the general said.


    The nameless subordinate shuddered, and Yin Yanzhao chuckled.


    “I have already taken such variables into account. If he was so easily shaken then he would make a poor opponent. Though, it would have been nice if he had acted according to script. Now we have to make the necessary adjustments.”


    “Sir, we are ready to carry out your orders,” the subordinate said.


    The casual face on General Yin vanished, replaced with a cold look.


    “Send word to our agents around Li Jing. It is clear that Huang Ming never trusted him at all,” he said.


    “Sir?”


    Yin Yanzhao paused to reconfirm his conclusions. He wondered how many people had been tricked by Li Jing. There were many points in history where the central authority would be suspicious of a general or governor building up their own power base in a distant province. Yin Yanzhao’s outward leery attitude towards Li Jing was but a façade to assure the then Marshal Gao Fang that such a thing was not happening in Beihai: after all, how could General Yin form his own faction if he could not even get along with his second-in-command?


    Yin Yanzhao had deliberately played up his uncomfortable working relationship with Li Jing, yet they were working hand-in-hand in the shadows. Li Jing was one of the many in the north who had grown disillusioned by the aloof and selfish central government of Wu, and it had been easy to convert him to Yin Yanzhao’s point of view.


    Of course, the srih-chewing man could not have imagined that the famous northern patriot had far more grandiose, destructive dreams than just reforming the government and the military. Yin Yanzhao wanted to do much, much more; and Li Jing was but an expendable pawn in the grand scheme of things.


    General Yin took a deep breath and decided.


    “Huang Ming was completely prepared for the Jin attack. He may have sent Li Jing to get the reinforcements, but the fact that he never gave Li Jing any other plans meant he had seen through Li Jing’s acting. Either that, or he has never trusted him at all. In other words, Huang Ming never depended on Li Jing to return at all,” he expounded.


    The subordinate nodded. “Then, should we silence him?”


    “We need a scapegoat for all this, after all,” General Yin smiled coldly. “Tomorrow I will assure the king about how I have settled the triple invasion. Wei cannot breach Tigertrap Pass, while Chu was merely conducting exercises and the previous reports were just the work of overexcited scouts.”


    “And the north?” the subordinate asked. “The Jins did really attack us…”


    “Obviously, it’s the handiwork of Li Jing. The man had turned traitor and told the Jins to attack when Beihai is at its weakest,” Yin Yanzhao said in a flat tone.


    The subordinate saluted and moved to leave the room. But after taking a few steps, he paused.


    “Sir, what about… what about Miss Zhao Sunli?” he asked hesitantly.


    Yin Yanzhao’s eyes narrowed. “What about her?”


    “If you say Huang Ming have seen through Li Jing, could she be part of his plans too?”


    “Do not beat around the bush. You are thinking that I am sweet on her, hmm?” Yin Yanzhao said.


    “This subordinate does not dare!” the man hastened to kneel in abject apology.


    “She is an intriguing creature, to be sure. An interesting diversion, but nothing more. Ultimately, she is not who I want,” the general said flatly.


    ‘Then, who do you want?’ the subordinate thought reflexively, but he managed to suppress the question.


    “Dismissed,” the general ordered curtly, and the subordinate all but leapt to his feet and retreated.


    Once the door closed, Yin Yanzhao turned his gaze out of the window once more.


    “They will never know,” he whispered to himself, almost reassuringly. Then he smiled. “And even if they do, they will never believe it,” he chuckled as he poured himself a cup of tea.


    He had made so many moves, so many deceitful plans, so many sacrifices and told many lies… Even those closest around him, even his trusted helpers would never realize the depths of his conspiracies.


    General Yin Yanzhao was confident, because all those who knew of his past intimately had already perished. His father was killed by a Jin ambush… but who led him there? The previous fatuous governor of Beihai who was jealous of his fame and covetous of his daughter-in-law had compassed the sequence of events leading to the trap.


    Yin Yanzhao’s eyes hardened and the grip on his tea cup tightened, the drink within trembled. He remembered…


    “Father, let me go with you!” he had said.



    “It is just a patrol. Beihai needs you while I am away. Besides, daughter-in-law is ill. Stay with your wife!”



    And so Yin Yanzhao remained at home, while his father fell to the plot. When he heard of the news, he wailed with despair. Yin Yanzhao rode off to reclaim his father’s corpse. The days became weeks, yet Yin Yanzhao did not return.



    While he was away, the dastardly governor of Beihai visited his home to ‘comfort’ the lady of the house.



    “How could you do this?!” Lady Yin exclaimed in horror as the governor stalked her.



    “Because I can,” he laughed.



    Weakened by illness, Lady Yin could not put up much of a resistance.



    “You had best kill me now, for when my husband returns you will pay for what you have done!” she swore.



    To which the governor laughed. “If he returns at all! I have already arranged the death of your patriarch, do you really think I would not do the same to your husband?”



    Driven to despair, she committed suicide. The governor was not overly worried: all those privy to the events were paid off or sent away. The Yin father-and-son who had eclipsed him for so long were both gone, and the King of Wu was far too troubled with Prime Minister Tong Xuan and Marshal Gao Fang to know the truth.



    Little did the governor dream that Yin Yanzhao survived the assassination attempt. He had defeated the assassins but would have perished if not discovered by Jin scouts.



    “This is the son of the honoured enemy,” they exclaimed, and hastened to send him to the Jin capital to be treated.



    Later he learned that the Jins had rescued him because they held the Yin Family in high esteem: redoubtable foes that were worth fighting. The Jin warlord who had killed his father had already been deposed and executed for participating in courtly intrigue.



    Yin Yanzhao laughed like a madman, who was he supposed to take his revenge on?



    “He was not the only responsible,” a female voice told him.



    He saw it was a young slip of a girl. So young, yet her eyes were penetrating his soul.



    But the words from her lips were earth-shattering. The governor of Beihai conspired with the warlord to kill his father? Why?



    Then he understood. He had seen the lust in the governor’s eyes, how he had ogled at his wife. Now he had left her all alone in his clutches!



    “You are too weak to return in current state. Rest, while we ascertain what had happened,” the young girl told him.



    The days passed agonizingly, yet Yin Yanzhao was comforted by the girl who visited him regularly. She came to ask questions about Wu, showing interest in its politics and noted personages. Not exactly the topics of a girl of her age.



    Disillusioned by what had happened to him, Yin Yanzhao saw no reason to deny her. He answered everything she had asked him.



    “Why do you want to know all this?”



    “Because one day we will sweep southwards,” she said imperiously.



    He wanted to laugh, but there was steel in her words.



    “I still do not know your name…”



    “My name is Jin Hua.”



    He learned that this young girl was the daughter of the Prime Minister of Jin, soon to be the Princess of Jin. He cannot help but be mesmerized, for she was the most beautiful female he had ever seen.



    Once more she shattered his heart when she told him that his wife had died under suspicious circumstances. Knowing what he knew now, there was little to doubt that the governor of Beihai was responsible.



    “What do you plan to do now?” Jin Hua asked.



    “I will go kill him,” he said, his teeth clenched so tightly that they threatened to crack.



    She nodded in approval.



    “And then?”



    “I don’t know,” he said, unsure why he had answered honestly.



    “I will not insult you by asking you to repay me by betraying your country. Go, you are free to return to Beihai and extract your revenge. Do it cleanly, then grieve loudly later. Let the future decide the rest,” Jin Hua said.



    She turned around and left, and that was the last he had seen her.



    He stealthily made his return to Beihai and slew the governor in his sleep. As she had advised, he did it quickly and cleanly. There was no dramatic encounter, no theatrics.



    One stab, and the governor was dead. A single stroke of the sword, almost poetic in the sense he was also cutting his ties to Wu. He then sneaked back out, and made a show of returning to Beihai publicly.



    Once more he followed her advice and made a public spectacle of his grief, before pulling himself together to take charge of Beihai.



    She kept to her word and did not ask for the unthinkable. She did not need to ask, because Yin Yanzhao had already promised in his heart to give it to her.



    She wanted to sweep southwards?



    Then he will pave the way…



    General Yin Yanzhao blinked as he returned to the present.


    ‘Are you doing well?’ he wondered.


    He did so much, yet when his own contacts told him of her interest in Huang Ming he could not help but feel his heart tighten. Not even her marriage to the Prince of Jin elicited such feelings from him.


    It was Yin Yanzhao who had donned black clothings and rescued Nangong Xie. Someone who bore hatred against Huang Ming could prove useful. Nangong Xie was still a scholar of some repute, and his survival meant he would be a thorn in Huang Ming’s side for some time. A win-win for Yin Yanzhao.


    It was Yin Yanzhao who had met the Princess of Jin’s spies and told them to kidnap Huang Ming. If they had succeeded, there would be opportunities for Huang Ming to meet an ‘accident’. But naturally they botched it and their ends would serve to turn the Princess’s interest to anger; and Huang Ming would surely never bend his knee to serve her. A win-win for Yin Yanzhao.


    It was Yin Yanzhao who had arranged Beihai’s defences to be weakened and its army stripped, causing the Prince of Jin to risk a winter assault. It was a foolhardy gamble which he encouraged. If the Prince had succeeded in capturing Beihai, Yin Yanzhao would earn merits. If the prince failed, it would diminish the Prince’s standing. A win-win for Yin Yanzhao.


    It was Yin Yanzhao who spread the rumours of a triple invasion. He was already in command of the capital, it was a simple matter to report falsely to the King of Wu. The kingdom of Wei was threatening Tigertrap Pass, but that had always been the case. The kingdom of Chu was acting belligerently across the southern river, but that had always been the norm. All he did was exaggerate and modify a report or two before reporting them to the king.


    The first rays of the dawn hit his eyes, and he blinked. He had wasted an entire night reminiscing. He was annoyed with himself, for there were many things to be done.


    “Life is wasted on the living,” he muttered.

    A man driven to despair,
    No mercy to spare.
     
  15. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Late, I'm late....

    ***

    “My dear... I give you the Capellan Confederation.”
    --The marriage gift of Hanse Davion to Melissa Steiner, marking the start of the Fourth Succession War, ‘Battletech’


    Chapter 194 – Fault

    The winter season was in full force in Jin. If the combatants at Beihai had complained about the chill there, they would have been rendered speechless by the conditions in Jin. The capital of Zhongdu was blanketed by snow and icicles hung from every roof.


    But the growing wealth and development inspired by the Princess of Jin had made the city more than bearable. Perhaps even desirable.


    More braziers were placed and allowed to burn indefinitely, diligently refueled and kept alive by patrolling guards wearing lush furs and servants in thick padded clothing. Such things were limited in the past, yet they had become a common sight in recent years. The nomadic Jins did not see the need for such luxuries previously, but once encouraged to venture beyond foraging and herding; the intrepid Jins easily found ways to afford them.


    Husbandry, farming, trading, crafting… all initiatives proposed and managed by the Princess of Jin. Zhongdu even have the rudimentary beginnings of a sewage system. The ignominy of having one’s rear frozen while going about doing the natural business was now a very distant, quaint memory.


    It was now not uncommon to see wintertime being a time of merriment rather than the possibility of frostbites or worse, being frozen to death while asleep. Feasts and banquets were aplenty to pass the winter day, the Jins revelling in their new-found appreciation for the finer things in life.


    Yet for all the warmth now easily found in the city, the people that lived and worked in the palace currently all have ghastly appearances. Despite the braziers, furs and silks; the eunuchs, servants, maids and all sorts of bureaucrats were either sweating or feeling ice in their blood.


    The Princess of Jin’s fury was not like thunder and lighting, but like a winter chill. When displeased, her green eyes would narrow imperceptibly and her lips pursed into a thin line. They were very slight gestures, but the palace officials had soon learned that their princess was not who easily displayed her emotions, and that they have to pick up on those minute changes in her expression if they were to continue in her service.


    Needless to say, those who had disappointed her soon found themselves demoted or even dismissed. Needless to say, the people that surrounded the princess were the best of the best by simple and ruthless means of elimination. They were clever, humble and alert; eager to please and afraid of failing the object of their adoration.


    Now they were walking on pins and needles and their eyes downcast, afraid of being the focus of her icy glare. Someone had indeed disappointed her. To make matters worse, they all know who was responsible… and yet they were powerless to act on their grudge, unable to even gossip or heckle at the person who had caused displeasure in their princess.


    The day started innocently enough.


    Even though it was wintertime, the Prince and Princess of Jin still maintained their routines of waking up early and going about their royal duties normally. The only difference was sometimes Prince Jin Long would already be gone when the Princess woke up. Being the head of the military and the heir apparent to the empire meant he had to shoulder many responsibilities, hold many meetings and travel extensively.


    Princess Jin Hua did not mind this: the royal couple lived and worked harmoniously together. She did not mind his absence as it allowed her much personal freedom to pursue her own agendas. One might even say that she was at times relieved to be away from a clingy, passionate husband. The plots that arose after they had become a couple could very well fill a book on its own, it was the stuff of dramatic novels with jealous and scheming rivals. Ultimately the two stood tall and weathered the storm together, achieving what was a fairy tale ending; a golden couple for the ages.


    Yet, the person responsible for the Princess’s terrible mood this morning was from her spouse. Oh, they have their share of misunderstandings and disagreements, but this was different.


    They were having breakfast that morning, exchanging pleasantries and light jokes as they dined when the Prince of Jin conversationally confessed:


    “My dear, I have messed up.”


    Jin Hua smirked. “So you finally admit to have taken my share of the sweetened meat?” she asked, referring to an earlier struggle about a particularly dish that she enjoyed.


    The Prince shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. The shadow of embarrassment was entirely out of place on his handsome features, and Jin Hua realized it was very serious indeed.


    She put down her pair of chopsticks and placed her one palm on top of the other on her lap, assuming the air of an imperious authoritarian figure calmly waiting to hear the rest of the confession.


    “I am listening,” she said primly.


    Those were very polite words, yet Jin Long could not help feel lashed by the implied reprimand. She might as well have said “What have you done this time?”



    He scratched his cheek, abashed like a child caught with his hand in the jar. Only, this jar was on a national disaster level.


    “I planned something grandiose for our wedding anniversary, but, uh; things haven’t gone as planned…” he said.


    “Oh?” Jin Hua added the pressure by raising an eyebrow.


    Prince Jin Long, heir of the Jin empire; coughed sheepishly.


    “Ah, someone from the army took your prototype fire barrels…”


    Jin Hua frowned. “You mean the cannons,” she said in an even tone. At this point she was not yet angered, after all she understood how the warlike men of Jin were enamoured with the weapons that she was beginning to produce.


    “Yes, the cannons,” Jin Long said quickly. Too quickly.


    “How many did he take?” she asked with growing unease.


    “All of them…” her husband replied.


    All of them?” her voice tightened. “But I wasn’t done testing them, they are not ready!”


    She paused when she saw the ashen look on Jin Long’s face.


    “What have you done with them?” she asked bluntly, brushing aside his pretense that someone else was responsible.


    “There was an… opportunity that presented itself. A desirable target city was weakened by troop transfers and I thought it was an irresistible chance to capture it,” Prince Jin Long said.


    Jin Hua stared at him in disbelief. “You launched a military campaign, in winter?” she gasped.


    “The information was credible,” he defensively. “I thought it was also a chance to field test your fire barrels-”


    “Cannons,” Jin Hua interrupted. “They are in no condition to be used in real combat,” she sighed in exasperation.


    “That is why they were taken. I wanted them to be used against an immobile target,” Jin Long replied. “The target was so weakened by transfers that the cannons could be brought to bear on the static defences.”


    Jin Hua was about to complain, but a sudden thought sparked through her mind. “Troop transfers? Static defences…” she repeated. Then she put two and two together and pieced the reports from her own operatives.


    “You… attacked Beihai?” she mumbled.


    This time Prince Jin Long scratched the back of his head as he nodded.


    Jin Hua slapped the table angrily, causing the delicate tea cups and ivory chopsticks to jump.


    “What happened?” she demanded.


    Prince Jin Long then proceeded to explain the recently concluded siege of Beihai. By the time the negative outcome of the battle was told, Jin Hua’s brows were frowning deeply, her eyes cold.


    “There were… unexpected complications,” the prince admitted.


    “You mean to tell me that you have started a war of surprise, sent thirty thousand men, took my prototype weapons against a weakened opponent… and yet still lost them all?” she said icily.


    He waved a hand in dismissal. “I am sorry. But you can build more.”


    “Such waste… and for what?” Jin Hua muttered.


    Her husband did not hear her bleak remark. “General Yin Yanzhao was absent and his replacement is but a young bureaucrat. I underestimated him… this Huang Ming,” he grumbled.


    “Had you consulted me before you embarked on the enterprise, I would have told you that. Then you would not have lost all those men,” Jin Hua said cuttingly.


    The prince stiffened. “You already know of him?” he asked, slightly displeased.


    “My agents were in the city,” Jin Hua said angrily.


    “And what they were doing there?” Jin Long asked, his voice rising in response.


    “Gathering detailed information, which you failed to do before you pulled this foolhardy stunt,” Jin Hua said waspishly.


    “Is that all? Tell me, were you not interested in this Huang Ming yourself?” the prince growled. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t think I am completely ignorant, I have my own agents,” he said impetuously.


    Jin Hua shot to her feet in indignation, and the prince’s foul mood evaporated; replaced by immediate regret of his rash words.


    Jin Hua gave him a glare before she gathered her robes and swept out of the room, leaving a trail of fearful servants in her wake.


    Jin Long’s hand was half-raised to call her back, but she retreated too quickly before he could formulate an apology. He looked on, waiting in vain for her to turn back and give him a look.


    When she had gone from his eyes, his fingers clenched. The fist trembled in the air before he forcefully slammed it down on the table.


    “This is his fault,” he seethed through gritted teeth.

    Though distant, still blamed,
    Through resistance, enmity gained.
     
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  16. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Schedule disrupted due to work changes.
     
  17. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Apologies for the erratic updates. Notes at the end.

    A thank you to Cristian Mahecha for his patronage!

    --------------------------------

    “At my age, you see death everywhere. DEATH!”
    --Akama, ‘Warcraft III’


    Chapter 195 – Reduced to a footnote

    The historians and story-tellers wrote thus:

    Beset by the joint threats of Jin, Wei and Chu, The King of Wu was alarmed and his citizens were distressed. The palace was swamped by numerous memorials and petitions seeking relief. The King of Wu who had recently stamped out the treacherous Tong Xuan and Gao Fang found himself at a wits end. His daughter Princess Wu Liying then suggested that he consult the famed military leader who have yet to present himself at the palace.



    Faced with this unprecedented crisis, the King of Wu did not wait any longer and personally went with his daughter to visit General Yin Yanzhao. The general’s housekeeper was shocked but the king forbade him to announce their arrival.



    “Where is the general?” the king asked.



    He was then led to the gardens, where Yin Yanzhao was sitting by himself. For a time, the King of Wu and the princess stood behind him and saw that the general was leisurely idling the time away drinking tea.



    After several cups, Princess Wu Liying said slowly, “Is the tea really that delicious?”



    Yin Yanzhao was surprised and turned around. When he saw the king and the princess, he fell to his knees in abject apology. The King of Wu accepted his gesture.



    “You seem to be enjoying yourself while the country is in crisis,” the king remarked.



    “What crisis?” Yin Yanzhao asked.



    “We are being attacked on three fronts, have you not heard?” Princess Wu Liying replied in shock.



    Yin Yanzhao laughed. “Three? I see that Your Majesty is ill-served by slow couriers. I have already settled two of them, there is only the one threat remaining.”



    “What do you mean?” she asked.



    “In Tigertrap Fort, General Huang is more than up to the task of checking Wei’s advances. They have no chance of breaking through after the damaged we had inflicted on them in the past. As a precaution I have moved several legions nearby, ready to react should the unlikely happen. In the north, General Li Jing is still holding on in Beihai. Though the Jins are roaming around the border and have pillaged several small towns, they will not march further south as long as Beihai still stands to threaten their rear. In a few days I will march north to reinforce the city and stop the Jin raids.”



    The father and daughter duo were relieved to hear his explanation, but they remained concerned.



    “But what of Chu? The reports indicate that they are readying to cross the river and threaten our cities,” the king said.



    “That is why I was sitting here. I was thinking about how to deal with Chu. Had the attacks in Beihai and Tigertrap Fort succeeded, Chu would surely take advantage of the situation. We need someone with a ready tongue to convince Chu that all is well in our country,” Yin Yanzhao said.



    “Do you mean Huang Ming?” Princess Wu Liying asked.



    “He would be the best choice. Only I fear that he would refuse. After all, he was sent north for a routine inspection and ended up being besieged in Beihai,” Yin Yanzhao said.



    “Our country is in peril, he cannot stand idly by. We will issue the royal decree immediately,” the King of Wu decided.



    A few days later General Yin Yanzhao marched north with several legions of veterans and lifted the siege of Beihai. The Jins were frightened and combined with the peak of winter were forced to withdraw.



    The citizens of Beihai were overjoyed, but unfortunately Yin Yanzhao arrived too late to save General Li Jing who was mortally wounded in the final days of the siege. He consoled the citizens and appointed a new commander of Beihai.



    That was how the later sagas and stories would describe the aftermath of the siege of Beihai.


    Historians later wrote that General Li Jing later died from his wounds while defending the city, not knowing that he was nowhere near the city as the siege unfolded; that it was Huang Ming who had conducted the defence of Beihai. There were some minor and incomplete records of Huang Ming, but they were vague and unclear.



    Most wrote that the praise and credit fell to General Yin Yanzhao. Of course, the finer details would be lost to the passing of time.


    Those historians would be abashed to learn that he who had deprived Beihai in the first place was lauded as its saviour when he returned with the very legions that he had taken away.


    Needless to say, history also did not record the details of the meeting between Huang Ming and Yin Yanzhao as the decree was handed over.


    “It seems that you are enjoying yourself,” Huang Ming said to him, unknowingly paraphrasing the King of Wu’s words as he accepted the decree.


    “You have done well yourself,” Yin Yanzhao returned, seemingly oblivious to the barbed comment.


    “Not as well as you. Now you have the king’s ear, while I’m being sent here and there like a fireman,” Huang Ming grumbled.


    “The king’s fireman, that is a nice phrase,” Yin Yanzhao remarked. “But you cannot blame the king for this, you are simply too outstanding...”


    Suddenly, Huang Ming felt irritated. He tuned out the rest of the general’s pleasant but empty praise. For a brief moment, Huang Ming thought of maintaining the façade, but on an impulse he just got tired by it all. Perhaps it was due to the fake air of civility, the fake smile on Yin Yanzhao’s face, the idea that someone had spread rumours about his father and brother being trapped in Tigertrap Fort…


    He toyed with the idea of murdering the general right there and then, images of the various methods to snap Yin Yanzhao’s neck to end the drama. But the general was armed and armoured, lessening the chances of success. And the resulting fallout from such a drastic action would be enormous.


    Huang Ming sighed ruefully as the flash of red passed. It was replaced by weariness. Ever since he had arrived, there were one crisis after another.


    There were many worries on his mind: his family, Qiong Ying, Zhao Sunli, his friends, the kingdom of Wu’s future, the Jins and of course, the enemy Avatar.


    Maybe he could use a change of scenery.


    It might seem lackadaisical, or even careless abandonment of his goal.


    ‘My goal,’ he thought humourlessly. Was it really his, when he was thrown into this quantum leaping of different lives against his will?


    Yin Yanzhao was the older man, but when Huang Ming turned his eyes on him; the general weight the weight of a colossal mountain behind them. It was as if he was being gazed back by the portrait of a venerable saint or mythical figure.


    “What is your goal, General Yin?” Huang Ming asked in a moment of brashness.


    “I beg your pardon?” Yin Yanzhao replied as he snapped out his reverie. ‘What was that, what happened to me? And what did he say just now?’ he thought, shocked at his lapse. Huang Ming did not notice it, but for the remainder of their meeting the general kept his eyes half-lidded and avoided looking directly at him.


    “I was making a facetious remark, you did me a favour by not hearing it,” Huang Ming said.


    Yin Yanzhao was puzzled.


    “Are you reluctant?” he asked. ‘What is he hiding?’ he wondered, annoyed at what he had missed.


    “I need a break,” Huang Ming muttered.


    The general laughed. “Do not worry, the faster you finish this diplomatic mission, the sooner you will return to Wu.”


    ‘If you return,’ he left unsaid.


    ‘If there is a place for me to return to,’ Huang Ming thought. Then he mentally grimaced, wondering what the two women in his life would think at his seemingly meek acceptance. It was just as well that he had sent them away on an errand when General Yin arrived, though he did not relish explaining to them afterwards.


    ‘Maybe I should have gone with breaking his neck,” he winced.


    Indeed, the historians later wrote:


    Then General Yin Yanzhao presented the royal decree to Huang Ming, who received it and obediently made his way to Chu.


    Proved his worth,
    But sent to the north.
    Through the winter he toiled,
    While at home danger uncoiled.

    The city bereft of soldiers,
    Akin to naked exposure.
    Yet he held his composure,
    Even as the Jins got bolder.

    His efforts bore revival,
    Capped with a festival.
    The Jins came loaded to bear,
    Hoping to catch him unaware.

    But he was prepared,
    And morale was not impaired.
    A stubborn resistance,
    And waited for assistance.

    Outnumbered ten to one,
    In the end he still won.
    But what was his reward?
    Moved around on the chessboard.

    END PART IV: A WINTER IN THE NORTH

    ***************************

    This entire arc was a disappointment to me as its author. Too many times I have finished the chapter, re-read, posted... only to regret it mere hours later. "Why did I write that", or "why didn't I change this" were two frequent questions that clouded my mind as I slogged past the writing process. The said process was frequently interrupted by real life. Ever since my father's heart problems, I have tried to take on more responsibilities to lighten his burden, and this had caused changes to my previously predictable work schedule.

    Readers would no doubt note that my postings have been tardy, and I am finding it increasingly difficult to be inspired to write. But I am still scribbling notes (on paper!), and I can only ask for the kind understanding of my readers as I try to get used to my new circumstances.

    Thank you, and I apologize if it all sounds like a downer.
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2018
  18. iormunger15

    iormunger15 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for the chapter!! I love this novel. You make me so invested in the story and in the characters in a way few others do. I hope things work out for the better in RL. Never let this novel become another task that you need to do. I sincerely wish it becomes a refuge you keep coming back to when you want time away from everything.

    Your family and you will be in my prayers. Take care.
     
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  19. NotYoungNorMaster

    NotYoungNorMaster Member

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    Thank you for writing this. You're really talented to keep us hanging from chapter to chapter with a great story. I always find myself searching your novel's post and hoping to find it updated, and until today i was content to do that. Your novel is great and i hope to keep reading more about Huang Ming in the future!

    But of course, take care of yourself(and your family) first! ;)
     
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  20. rdawv

    rdawv The Ancient of Lore

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    Thank you all for your kind replies and well wishes. I am still writing, I am still continuing.