5 War Council (1/2)
Long ago, the emperor divided the kingdom into two for both his sons to rule. Shanhe, his oldest son, chose the beautiful, mountainous area while the younger son, Linlong, happily took the wild, forest lands as his territory. After each prince's coronation, the emperor disappeared. Legends told of him returning to a shrine, for he was actually a deity set to find peace, while other rumours spread that he began training men to protect his sons. The truth remained a mystery.
Wang Joaolong read the scroll for the millionth time, despite memorising Shanhe's history years ago. Sicky since a child, there was no chance to play like normal children. Instead, Joaolong spent his youth indoors, reading to distract himself. The empress saw this thirst for knowledge and permitted him to learn from scholars in isolated areas. Often, he disappeared into bamboo forests to learn for months. Joaolong learnt everything, from poems to idioms, but it was the strategic games that intrigued him, like Weiqi. Gossip spread about his talent in the game, as well as his theoretical solutions to problems, and soon his reputation became the 'weak man with a strong mind'. It took years for the emperor to acknowledge this growth of intelligence that surpassed others and finally, on Joaolong's 23rd birthday, he offered a position in the council. The title of minister of economics for Shanhe remained with Joaolong for four years so far.
Unfortunately, this grand knowledge and different thinking proved to be useless. The most necessary skill was persuasion. The councilmen and emperor were from older generations, unwilling to change their views. These men had set ideologies and opinions that hardly swayed and hence, any remarkable advice was ignored. Joaolong, although part of the council because of his intelligence, felt like a lone fox among a flock of sheep. Each meeting was difficult and he felt more like an enemy for his new suggestions and arguments than an ally of the council.
”Master Wang. Your presence is requested by the emperor in the strategy room,” a messenger announced.
Disung snapped out of his trance and grinned, moving away from the shadows of the room. It took the messenger by surprise. ”Time for some fun.”
”I am afraid the emperor did not request Master Liu.”
The new messenger's cluelessness hinted at his origins, likely at the Shanhe border.
”Did the emperor mention 'Ànshù'?”
Nearly no one knew Disung's real name. Everyone referred to him by Ànshù; the emperor's secret weapon. Already trained in an unfamiliar fighting style before joining the army, Disung baffled men with his agility and combat skills. Then, he learnt kung fu ridiculously fast. Within a year, not even a general could defeat him. Many people wished to seize that capability for themselves, offering handsome payments for dirty duties. However, Disung only accepted the empress' invitation to become a bodyguard for Joaolong.
”I believe so.”
”Then we must make haste!” Disung said, adding a skip in his step.
The messenger led them to the secret strategy room, only accessible through the emperor's study. Charcoal walls greeted them, with the swirling flames of white consuming the darkness closer to the emperor's position; the opposing colours represented the opposing power. This design was complimented by a dark, oak table and red cushions near the outskirts of the room, evenly spaced. Twelve pillows suffocated under the weight of fierce men. The emperor, Hong Weishan, sat at the head of the table. All of his black hair slicked back into a bun, secured by his gold crown which was adorned with green gems and clear diamonds. The robes he wore were just as extravagant, with the mix of white and silver emphasising his pale skin tone. Beside him waited Zhao Cheng, a stocky man with spreading dark facial hair that was always perfectly groomed to flow to his ears. Wrinkles crinkled his eyes and aged his devious smile, yet his charm remained. On the opposite side of the emperor sat Su Rong, general of the Shanhe army. He was in his late thirties and extremely proud of the small, brown facial air on his top lip, displaying his masculinity. The huge, buff body below his plain head intimiated many men, even Disung. Somehow, despite his unattractive and plain features, he married one of the most beautiful women in Shanhe who was expecting their third child.
The emperor's brother, Hong Guiying, sat between a few familiar councilmen. He looked similar to his brother with the same plump, pale face but eyes were filled with more wariness. The brothers disagreed often, both wanting different things from life and the older Guiying became, the more he desired to return to his property in remote Shanhe. Yet, Weishan loved to torment him to return. The current trick was promising education and marriage for Hong Biyu, the only niece he had.
Joaolong and Disung took their positions, leaving one cushion vacant. The Crowned Prince wasn't attending, as expected. He found these meetings a bore and rather spent time parading his power than using it wisely. Life would become hard when he ruled.
Directly in the centre of the room, a wooden replica of both kingdoms burdened the table. This included every cliff, every mountainous terrain, every lake and dense forest area across the lands. There were figurines that represented divisions in the armies and clumps were placed chaotically across the board. The last meeting briefly discussed warfare but the new placement of pieces was recent.
”The session is in progress,” Cheng, the imperial advisor, announced and the servants heaved the doors shut, locking themselves out. ”During the last battle council meeting, we discussed the possibility of declaring war against Linlong. Today, we must discuss the threatening appearance of the Fox. We have all heard of his murderous ways and need to prepare for his arrival.”
A single pin could've dropped and all ears would hear it as loud as a scream; the room turned eerily quiet. Weishan lifted a dusty, wooden box in front of him to show all the men. After replacing it back on the floor in front of him, he opened it using a hidden key from inside his robes. The contents – an ancient scroll – were only meant for the emperor's eyes but for some reason, he willingly shared it. Instead of parchment or wood, words were written on thin, rock planks joined together by threaded string.
”I understand many of you have heard stories of the Mountain Masters as children through various fables. This was purposeful, so that the truth about these assassins was washed away to be rumours and nonsense. It is with great regret that I reveal to you the truth. This scroll contains all the information about the original Mountain Master leader and the emperor's knowledge from each generation. You may pass it around and seek clarity about our situation, despite most of you containing no royal blood. It is my wish and a necessity for the meeting.”
Each person carefully passed the lump of stone carefully, slowly revealing its contents. The men were like bugs, with huge eyes and emitting strange noises of understanding, their emotions overshadowing their bright robes. When the scroll reached Joaolong, it was warm to touch. No black market or thief could've gotten him this much riches in knowledge.
In the beginning, the stones briefly summarised the time when lands were partitioned between sons. Part of Joaolong was disappointed it didn't include a hint further in the past, where history was murky in detail because of endless wars and destruction. No one knew about the time before the 'Great Emperor' that split the lands. However, the scroll did explain the missing emperor.
After retiring his title to his heirs, the old emperor fled to the mountains with loyal followers and friends, creating a temple that trained men to watch over his sons. Joaolong remembered Wang Yenay, the empress, first telling him this story after his parents died and he entered the palace. The mountains hid the sacred temple and no ordinary man lived to disclose its whereabouts. From this simple mission of protecting the emperors and maintaining peace, a culture bloomed. Those that excelled in martial arts diverted in technique to create their own style. Hence, Mountain Masters were formed and identified as animals; monkey, snake, pheasant, panda, tiger, fox and wolf. The old emperor became the leader of all of the warriors and known as the Dragon. Every three years, two Mountain Masters visited the emperors of Shanhe and Linlong and surveyed any possible dangers, as well as shared wise advice on ruling.
On the scroll, each emperor documented which Mountain Master visited and the effects. In the recent generations, the tension between these mysterious men and the emperors rose dramatically; all war-preventing methods were written in angst. The last entry was from the current emperor, who stated the Fox and Pheasant visited more than twenty years ago to threaten him to keep peace with Linlong. After that, no Mountain Masters came, implying something occurred at their temple.
Joaolong handed the scroll over to Disung.
”The Fox has visited alone. Such an event has never been recorded before. Why has he come?” Guiying asked pensively while Disung read.
”It is a threat to me,” Weishan replied bitterly. ”Foolishly, when I was in my youth, I agreed to keep peace between Shanhe and Linlong. Had I known that Linlong would raise the price for their harvests, I wouldn't have agreed.”
”The wisest of men could not have predicted this,” Cheng chimed in.
Disung muttered Joaolong's thoughts. ”The cost wouldn't rise if you hadn't blocked the rivers flowing into their land.”
”Have you something to say, Ànshù?”
”Emperor, I merely state an observation that the dammed rivers may have affected the amount of produce in the last few seasons at Linlong,” Disung replied with reckless confidence that Joaolong envied. No one else dared to speak this way to Weishan. Simple, blurted words posed a risk to their lives. Disung, however, had nothing to fear. He could kill a man within seconds. This awareness nourished his reckless behaviour.
”Ànshù, you may have a seat in this council but I can strip you of it as well.”
Several men tried to add their own opinion on the matter. The older councilmen, as usual, sided with the emperor both out of their own stupidity and fear of defying him. Rong and the lieutenant general found sense in Disung's statement and tried to reason. It was a chaotic stew of opinions, each flavour trying to overpower the others.
Joaolong calmly interjected before the heated words turned violent. Somehow, his quiet input was heard among the shouts. ”Master Hong Guiying, are your properties near the border doing well?”
”Oh, yes. It is manageable.” The man was caught off-guard.
”What about your livestock? I noticed on the reports that your breeding has decreased.”
Guiying flushed. ”It is true. Since the damming upstream, the grass and plants have struggled to adapt to the change. My herd is still adjusting and due to the poor quality of foliage, breeding the best calves has been difficult.”
”How are your estates in the south-west, Master Lei Yujin?”
The old councilman sat straighter, the white whiskers on his face pointing in attention. ”They are adequate.”
”Is the amount of produce the same as it was three years ago?”
”No…but…”
Three years ago, rainfalls were significantly less than expected, leading to the possibility of drought. Shanhe had a rough landscape and drought would bring more hardships on everyone. Damming three major rivers, running into Linlong, had been Cheng's recommended strategy to prevent drought. Most councilors, with large estates, latched onto the plan immediately. The emperor agreed without having any formal meetings with Linlong. Since then, tensions between the kingdoms rose.
”Nonsense! The damming has sustained Shanhe's civilians for years, providing plentiful supply of water and giving farmers richer soil. We are all in agreeance that Linlong blames the damming for their increase in produce costs when it is not true! They are a greedy kingdom and wish us to suffer!” Weishan shouted and glared at the council. ”Our meeting is about the Fox!”
Everyone fell silent once more. Cheng spoke first, his words pensive yet steady. ”If you suspected trouble from the infrequent visits of the Mountain Masters, perhaps this proves your intuition. The Fox has come, after all these years, alone. From the scroll, each visit from this clan has been polite, respecting values of hospitality and treatment of royals, and often finished within days. The Fox has broken this unspoken code and acts independently.”
”A rogue assassin is a dangerous one,” Rong murmured.
”Then what does he want?” A councilman asked.
”There is another option. Maybe he is not rogue and his partner is hiding,” Joaolong stipulated slowly, knowing his answer would anger the emperor. ”The military training camps have increased recruits and we have blocked rivers. The Masked Masters are supposedly wise and suspect a war is approaching. This would mean you broke your vow years ago—”
”He wants power!” Yujin rudely interrupted. ”Your majesty, he sees your progress and riches, and has turned jealous. I suspect the Mountain Masters removed him from their clan due to his ambitious desires to rule. That is why he is alone.”