Chapter 9

In the Midlands, more specifically in the North and South Dynasties, hereditary titles were in actuality not so hereditary. At least, not in present times. Most titles were simply honorary, coming with the right to the taxes of a certain number of households – the number was dependent on the rank. Usually, heirs must prove themselves first before they could inherit the title and the fief. Sometimes, the title would remain, but drop in rank every passing generation, until the family would simply be commoners. Though, this had not been in practice for quite some time.

Of course, certain families owning actual fiefdoms or possessing enough influence would play by different rules, for better or for worse.

Those of Noble blood,

Added to the Archives in 1000 SY

The moment he reached his destination, a woman waved at him. It was Bai Xiuying. She cheerfully greeted him, before saying, “Don’t look so glum. Polk can be a downer sometimes, but don’t let him get to you. And I got good news, so brighten up.”

Seeing how forced his smile was, Xiuying said with a triumphant smirk, “I also got your favourite treat here. Tada!”

She took out skewers with roasted pork. Nothing special, likely just from some random vendor down the street, but the smell was enticing all the same. The only special thing about these skewers was a particular type of leaf, adding some bitterness to the taste.

He gobbled one up immediately.

“Ay now, eat with a bit of care.” She wiped his mouth. He blushed, but was above all annoyed he could not continue. She commented, “You really do love your own kind.”

He slightly smiled at that, before continuing with another skewer. With a bit more moderation this time. Now, it would be disingenuous to claim that his enjoyment came from the food alone; it was good, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary. He had never gone out of his way to get these, that was for sure. However, due to a past misunderstanding, she came to believe he was particularly fond of these skewers.

He had no complaints whatsoever though.

Elzorath finished the rest as he was dragged into the building. Simple structure with crimson and black aesthetics. These were the colours of the Imperial Army, as they had been for the past seven centuries.

The guards here were soldiers from the fronts. Most troops stationed in the Capital required a certain level of training and experience. Especially here, at the Headquarters of the Imperial Command. This was the heart and soul of their glorious armies, the centre of all operations.

They passed through doors after doors, passing by soldiers and officers, all snugly fit in full-bodied black lamellar armour. There were honestly very few differences in armour between the North and the South, for all their bitter rivalry. The main distinction was their colour scheme: the North favoured mostly black outfits with decorative lines of emerald or crimson, while the South preferred their armour in equal parts crimson and metallic grey (that was to say unpainted). The latter also favoured very 'artistic' banners.

Leave it to the southerners to dress themselves up like peacocks for war. And whatever the case, the North had a lot more armour to go around; the very best too. Their relative poverty might also explain the South's decision to colour their armour so vibrantly - overcompensating as always.

He entered a room deep inside the building. One of the command centres. It had lines of embedded gems around the door and on the walls. When the door was closed, a deep emerald glow temporarily filled the room, before fizzling out. Now, this room was completely cut off from the outside; anything discussed here will not be leaked outside, whether through divination, sound, or any other means.

Inside was a large map surrounded by two people. He knew both of them, of course. Not personally, however.

Both men looked up as the two of them entered. The person sporting courtly clothing (rather than armour) spoke first, “Finally, our graceful commander is back. You want to do the briefing or are you leaving it to me?”

“Go ahead. You’re probably more familiar with the area than me, anyway.”

The man nodded eagerly, before turning to face Elzorath. This was Lin Fu, a member of the prestigious Lin Clan, itself a member of the Empire’s Embedded Clans. He was the nephew of the clan’s current head, the Grand Duke of Heavenly Beauty. Lin Fu’s father served in the military and gained the rank of Marquis all on his own. While his father might be a general of great renown, Lin Fu himself mainly served as a strategist and advisor behind the lines; a good position in its own right. The man was a fellow scholar from the Tower, though he had attended long before Elzorath did. After all, they were seven years apart.

While the man wore a relatively simple outfit with few accessories, each piece was a symbol of beauty and wealth. More importantly, the clothes bore lines of elegant embroidery; and in the case of other accessories: awe-inspiring engravings. These were runes, providing the inscribed item with powers or effects. In the Emerald Empire, this industry was virtually monopolized by the Lin clan. The source of their power and pride; the reason they kept their position among the greatest families despite their relative lack of firepower.

“Greetings, cousin Elzorath,” They were second cousins, obviously through his father.

“Greetings, cousin Lin Fu,” he said with a fist and palm salute.

Sweet and simple. The same could not be said for the other person.

The other man was Pei Shao, the youngest son of the Patriarch of the Pei Clan, the Marshal of the Empire. Pei Shao was also Erondik’s brother-in-law.

Now, the Pei Patriarch had found his fortunes through the military, so most of his offspring pursued careers in the army. Pei Shao was no different. At the age of 28, he had been conferred the rank of Count; he was 33 now.

Titles were not simply a matter of cultivation: it was primarily an issue of contribution. Therefore, while Pei Shao was only at the peak of the Third Floor, he had been given the command of two thousand five hundred men thanks to his efforts. For perspective, most Third Floors would be commanding a thousand men; at least that how things should have been. In addition, the 33-year-old was also in control of a personal force of five hundred from his family.

Information on both had been provided by Erondik; he always relied on his brother for these matters. Erondik also told him about some of their mannerisms: how Lin Fu was comfortable and informal while Pei Shao was rather rigid and cared much for his face. His brother speculated that the man was like such because he was the youngest of his family. In addition, his clan was also unproven compared to the empire’s greatest, making him act the way he did, to make sure others knew of their prestige. Elzorath was inclined to agree with his brother’s opinion.

He definitely was not biased. Trust.

Regardless, Elzorath took great care with his positioning and the degree of his respectful bow. His words were also curated, “Elzorath Ironwood, son of the late Count Elzokan and the Duchess Li Guiying, greets Lord Pei, son of the Grand Duke of Azure Skies and Lady Yu Lan.”

“Greetings, young master Elzorath. Pass my most sincere greetings to your brother and mother.”

A crisp clap drew their attention. Lin Fu said, “This is vital to know, so listen up everyone.” All of them subconsciously glanced at the corner of the room, where a man stood with his arms crossed in front.

Eronlutz Ironwood. Most likely the leader of this entire operation.

His older cousin gave a short nod, motioning Lin Fu to go ahead. He could almost hear the strategist swallow nervously. Let’s just say Eronlutz held a certain… reputation.

“So, our target this time is Vinshirai. More specifically, we are to restore the Ding dynasty to power, against the Chen. The latter have increasingly gained power over the throne for the last few decades,” at here Lin Fu glanced at the two Ironwoods, “it was only recently that they removed any pretensions and placed themselves at the top. As you all know, Vinshirai is split into six main regions, split between the Dukes and their clans. The heartlands, which used to be Ding territory, are now in the Chen’s control. Thus, the Chen clan controls two regions and has two ducal allies. Of the remaining, one will be sitting on the fence, while the other has pledged its support for the previous dynasty. Secretly. Our main ally here would be loyalist troops gathered all over the country, led by the King Emeritus’ second son and a remaining Ding child. If you are wondering, the King Emeritus is Chen Shou; he was never King but his firstborn is the reigning monarch and he is also the main player in Vinshirai. Thankfully, his strength does not lay in his martial ability; that’s actually the role played by the current king’s brother. The latter is the second born I was talking about, Chen Jiang. He and his son will serve as the primary commanders for our forces, alongside you two.” That was referring to Bai Xiuying and Pei Shao. As for Eronlutz, his strength did not lie in open warfare.

Xiuying tutted. “That’s a bit convoluted, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I’m saying! You don’t know even half of it, but I digress.”

Pei Shao asked, “That’s great and all, but numbers?”

“I’m getting to it. We’ll be mustering around 10000 troops, with 500 more from Lord Pei and 500 from Lady Bai. There’s a chance we can get more, with the favourable situation in the northeast, but I seriously doubt it. The main forces will be from Chen Jiang. Don’t make that face you lot. We all know that outside troops are inferior, but what can we do. Regardless, from what I’ve gathered, at least the personal retinue of Chen Jiang is quite competent and experienced. Now, the loyalists have around 22000 troops, in addition to 13000 from the duke on our side, for a total of about 46000. The enemies have around 55000, though a portion will be needed to secure their eastern borders. We can’t rely on that, because they’ll most likely just use the neutral duke’s troops for the border. They can also get more relatively easily, so keep that in mind. Still, their best generals stand on our side, so the odds are in our favour. That's my professional judgement, by the way.”

“You remember that the reason we lost the region in the first place was due to the sickness and the geography, right?” Elzorath asked.

“And supply issues. That’s why we are sending only ten thousand men.” Lin Fu said, conveniently ignoring the manpower shortage of the Empire. “In this case, supplies should not be a big issue.”

“I mean, I just don’t see why we are even bothering with them. The Chen still retains the previous arrangements from the Ding, no?”

“Is that a serious question?”

“I’m admittedly not so sure of the situation here, so please enlighten me.”

“Well, they indeed retained prior agreements, but there are a few reasons for interfering. We seek reunification and thus should try and reclaim imperial provinces where we can. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up. While not the richest place, Vinshirai is a productive and fairly prosperous region. They also control the islands of Nanhai, and thus much of the increasingly lucrative southern trade must go through them. More importantly, they will help bolster our forces in the area. The Southeastern provinces are way too underpopulated, and thus easy to break through, especially if Vinshirai stood against us. Having Vinshirai under our control would fortify the flanks and extend our control further south.”

Elzorath blinked, “I didn’t realize they were willing to give up their sovereignty. Thought we were just going for a regime change and some concessions.”

They were even more traitorous than he had assumed. Dirty blood traitors, that Chen Jiang and his son.

“They want an arrangement similar to that of the Bai in the north. But yes, they are giving up their independence. To be fair, they can see the way the winds are blowing. It’s the natural course of action. Also, once we win Chen Jiang shall be given full control of three of six regions, so it’s a good trade for him and his family.”

“Got it.”

“Also, another reason we must go in is that Chen Shou intends to align himself with the Li down south. Not openly, but the signs are there. He likely wants some territories from us, or maybe something else. While the Li likely won’t send over troops – one big reason we must finish this operation quickly – do not be surprised if some Li experts are on their side. In my opinion, a few Dragon Companions will likely be sent over. Also, to clarify the potential of them securing additional troops, I was indeed talking about the Li. There’s also a chance of them getting more mercenaries, or getting the neutral Duke on their side. These two possibilities are quite slim, though. We can pay for mercenaries of our own should they do so. Should push come shove, we can raise the provincial garrisons of the southeast.”

Garrisons… It would be better to treat them as if they did not exist. To put it simply, even the more populous and connected provinces would find it difficult to gather their garrisons in time, let alone these southeastern regions.

Pei Shao said, “Will we be discussing strategy today?”

“We will, just some general stuff. But there’s no need for Elzorath to stay. Don’t worry cousin, it’s just very boring stuff,” Lin Fu said with an apologetic smile.

“Very boring stuff that I used to be a part of. But I understand.”

The other man shrugged helplessly.

“I’ll see you out,” Xiuying said and the two of them walked out. Elzorath nudged her arm and said, “I have a few questions. I'll be quick.”

Xiuying nodded before taking him to a quiet corner, out of the way of prying eyes. She took out a gemstone and chanted, after which it activated. It had a similar function to the room they had been in, though weaker in potency.

“Speed is king here, as well as secrecy.”

“I know. That’s why I’m wondering why I’m even involved.”

“Your mother knows the Chen, on both sides. So having you here could help with negotiations. And once you return to the Third Floor, you’ll be more useful too.”

He was a bit miffed it had something to do with his mother. He also doubted he could return to the Third Floor. But a more pressing question bugged him, “If it’s diplomacy, wouldn’t Erondik be better suited here? Like, mother and elder brother are definitely occupied, but he shouldn’t be too busy.”

She scoffed, “We’d prefer to have someone of actual use and not a porcelain vase which breaks at the slightest touch. The Pei young miss would be outraged if Erondik died on our hands. You are here to serve as my bodyguard. That is your first and foremost function right now. There’s also the fact that your grandfather wanted it to be you. He said something about ‘opening his eyes’.”

“Ah…”

“He probably wants you to gain more experience.”

He said nothing.

“Anyway, I need to be back. You got anything else?”

“No. That’s all. And thanks.”

“No problem. We’ll be heading out tomorrow, so be at the Gates at noon.”

“Got it. Goodbye.”

Once Xiuying had left, Elzorath plopped down on the floor and stared blankly at the wall.

“Opening his eyes”. Maybe that was why Eronlutz had been chosen here, too. Elzorath might just be overplaying his own importance, though.

He chuckled, before sighing in resignation. He would deal with things as they come. After all, was this not his wish, to return to the battlefields. To not think and find joy in the simplicity of fighting.

Inevitably, though, he must witness the carnage of war. And he had a feeling his heart would fail him there.

Like it always does...