Jinyoung, Khanbaliq

 

“Your Highness!” Jinyoung looked up as a eunuch rushed into his classroom, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste, “Your Highness!” 

 

“What is it?” Jinyoung asked, “Look at you, making a loud fuss in the hallowed halls of an academy! There are students here!” The eunuch gulped and bowed quickly.

 

“My apologies, Your Highness.” He said, “But urgent news has just come from the battlefield.” Jinyoung felt his heart lift hopefully as he heard the eunuch speak.

 

“Has the Empress been victorious?” He asked, “WIll she be returning soon?” The eunuch swallowed hard and shook his head, then cast his gaze carefully around the room full of students from Jin.

 

“Your Highness, I…” He said before trailing off, looking hesitantly at the students. Jinyoung quickly caught onto what the eunuch was thinking.

 

“You are all dismissed for today.” He said. The students rose to their feet and bowed before leaving the room. The eunuch finally spoke after the room had emptied out.

 

“Chaos has erupted on the battlefield.” The eunuch said gravely, “The imperial forces were completely taken off guard by the rebel army’s firepowder, and our forces suffered severe casualties as a result.” Jinyoung felt his heart tighten in shock at the eunuch’s words.

 

“Didn’t Soyoung bring more than enough firepowder with her?” He asked, “How could they have been put at a disadvantage?” The eunuch sighed.

 

“Yes, Her Majesty did.” He answered, “But who could have predicted that someone would sabotage the firepowder and cause the storage tent to flood? Her Majesty ended up going into battle without using any of it! Right now, no one even knows where the rebel army’s firepower came from!” Jinyoung felt his heart sink at the news.

 

“And Soyoung?” He asked, already dreading the answer, “Is she alright?” The eunuch hesitated and cast his gaze to the side. 

 

“Answer me!” Jinyoung demanded. The eunuch gulped. 

 

“The Empress was caught in one of the explosions and seriously injured.” He said at last, “There’s no news on her current condition other than that.” Jinyoung felt his heart stop for a moment, the room tilting slightly as he staggered in shock at the news. The eunuch reached out to steady him, but Jinyoung waved him away as he grabbed onto the edge of his desk. 

 

Soyoung was…

 

But that’s impossible! She is the most powerful warrior in the entire country, how could she be heavily injured by a mere rebel?

 

And yet, a little voice in his head reminded him that in a war, anything was possible. Jinyoung took a deep breath as he gathered his scattered thoughts.

 

I cannot panic now. Soyoung left the country’s matters in my hands while she was away. What will happen to the empire if I keel over because of this news, shocking as it is?

 

“Your Highness…” The eunuch ventured, “The court officials are all waiting for instructions from you.” Jinyoung raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the eunuch.

 

“What do you mean, instructions?” He asked. 

 

“Well, the court officials were all wondering how you intended to aid the Empress in this time of crisis.” The eunuch replied, “Surely, you do not intend to just wait for matters to work themselves out?” Jinyoung swallowed hard as he pondered over the eunuch’s question for a few moments. It was natural that the court officials would be expecting Jinyoung to be taking some sort of action to help remedy the situation, particularly when the news was saying that the empress of the empire was currently injured. At the same time though, it wasn’t really Jinyoung’s place to be giving instructions for matters like that. Jinyoung hadn’t been trained in the military arts, and at the end of the day, sending more soldiers as backup wouldn’t be of much help. After all, Soyoung had taken most of the strongest generals with her, and if history was anything to go by, it wouldn’t be easy for reinforcement soldiers to even reach the area where the imperial forces were camped out. 

 

No, now was not the time to be moving rashly.

 

“Go back and tell the court officials to go home and wait for now.” Jinyoung ordered, “I will call them to court if I need their opinion on anything.” The eunuch frowned.

 

“Forgive this servant for being frank, Your Highness,” He said, “But do you really not intend to do anything right now?” Jinyoung sighed. The eunuch had come from the palace, but Soyoung had always taught Jinyoung to be more careful with his words around the servants. In a time like this, it was better not to say too much.

 

“Do not make me repeat myself.” He answered simply. Realizing he wouldn’t be getting anything else out of the prince, the eunuch bowed.

 

“Yes, Your Highness.” He said, “This servant will now take his leave.” Jinyoung watched as the eunuch left, then sighed deeply after the servant was out of earshot, his body slumping as he frowned with worry. Just the thought of Soyoung injured while miles away from him, with no way for him to know for sure the extent of her wounds made his heart clench painfully his chest, so much that he found it difficult to breathe. 

 

Soyoung, I wish I could be by your side right now!

 

___________________________________________________________________________

For the entire night, Jinyoung paced around the room while pondering over the events that had transpired that day. Although information was scant, a few things were clear to Jinyoung. First, someone had sold firepowder to the Jin rebels, and large quantities of it at that. Whoever that person was, they were certainly someone who held great power and wealth inside the capitol. Firepowder didn’t come at a cheap price, and Soyoung had issued strict rules regulating how much could be sold and to who. It wasn’t hard to guess who had enough power to access firepowder and would want to use it against Soyoung. Second, Jinyoung had to find a way to help Soyoung. No matter how many times he scoured over the reports that had come in, information was minimal at best. As far as he could see, the entire battle had come to a standstill after the first clash between the imperial forces and the rebels, almost as if one side was waiting for something.

 

But what was it? If the rebels wanted to close in and completely annihilate the imperial forces, they had the perfect opportunity to do so right now. So why were they lying still instead of moving forward?

 

Try as he might, Jinyoung couldn’t find an answer to his question.

 

That was, until he returned to his little academy the next day and headed to the library to find a book to read to distract himself until the morning lessons began. As Jinyoung ran his finger over the shelves of books he had set up in his little academy, his hand paused as it hovered over one set of books in particular. Frowning slightly, Jinyoung took a few steps back, then turned and cast another careful look at the set of books he had stopped next to. His gaze carefully moved across the books meticulously placed there, his eyes searching more than once to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. 

 

There’s two missing.

 

Jinyoung looked around at the other books on the shelf and on the floor around the bookcase in case the books had fallen or been misplaced, but they were nowhere to be found. Normally, he wouldn’t think anything about a few books being missing in the library. Students came in and borrowed books at their leisure, as long as they signed it out with the employee who sat at the entrance. This time though, Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel suspicions rising in his chest. After all, the two books missing were history books on the partially failed Mongol invasion of a country known as Hungary. The country was many miles away from Khanbaliq, but the invasion attempt had been particularly notable because the grassland trained Mongol army had trudged through miles of snow to reach several cities. In the end, snow had been a major contributing factor to the Mongol army’s defeat. 

 

And as it so happened, everyone was expecting an early winter this year, with heavy snow during the months when the weather was usually cool and snow was nowhere to be seen.

 

Jinyoung gnawed on his bottom lip nervously as he wondered what to do.

 

I hope I’m just overthinking this.

 

But in times like this, Jinyoung couldn’t help but overthink everything. It was just too coincidental for him to overlook it. Jinyoung quickly went to check the checkout list with the librarian, but found that no one had checked out the books that were missing, which only further raised his suspicions. If no one had openly checked out the books, then that meant they could have only returned to the library and taken out the books after closing hours. At the same time, besides Jinyoung’s students, no one could have possibly thought of taking information out of this library. Jinyoung felt his heart clench for a moment with anxiety.

 

My students are all from Jin.

 

All of a sudden, all the pieces began falling into place, leading Jinyoung to only one possible conclusion.

 

The rebels are waiting for snow before making their move.

 

Rebel soldiers couldn’t possibly have the background information needed to be prepared for a major tactical move like driving the entire imperial army to the mountains just as the heavy winter snows began, and so in all likeliness, Yongson used Jinyoung’s peace agreement to funnel his spies into the capital to obtain information.

 

He’s been planning this for a long time, hasn’t he?

 

Jinyoung’s hand clenched tightly into a fist as he thought of how hard Soyoung worked every day to protect the safety of her people. All of his thoughts were merely guesswork at the moment, it was still possible that he could be wrong. But in situations like this, Jinyoung knew it was better to be safe than sorry. As soon as classes finished that day, Jinyoung hurried to send a messenger pigeon to Soyoung.

 

“Invasion of Hungary.”

 

The note was short and didn’t elaborate on what Jinyoung was referring to, but Jinyoung had no doubt that Soyoung would understand what he was trying to tell her. After all, the young empress was more than well versed in the military arts and knew the empire’s military history like the back of her hand. There was no way she couldn’t have picked up on the rebel army’s odd behavior. 

 

And in the meantime, Jinyoung would find out who had supplied firepowder to the rebel army.

________________________________________________________________________

Soyoung, outskirts of Jin

 

The sound of soldiers screaming in pain echoed through Soyoung’s ears, breaking through the dark unconsciousness that had settled over her mind and twisting her heart into a vise. Behind the darkness of her closed eyes, Soyoung could see the bodies of her men falling as they were hit directly with the rebel army’s explosives, and yet, she was completely helpless to do anything to help them. In her half dreaming half awake state, Soyoung tried to cry out to her men, to tell them to leave the battlefield, anything if it meant they could survive another day, but it was as if her lips were sealed shut. In the darkness behind her closed eyes, Soyoung saw an explosive flying through the air directly at her, and something struck Soyoung directly in the chest as her feet remained glued to the ground. 

 

With a gasp, Soyoung’s eyes flew open.

 

Her breath came in short gasps as she looked around her, her panic muddled mind slowly recognizing the tall elaborate tent that she always used when she went on military expeditions. Soyoung’s hair clung haphazardly to her sweat covered cheeks and neck, and her hands at some point had become clenched tightly around the blankets covering her. After a few long moments, Soyoung finally felt her heartbeat return to normal, although she could still recall the chaotic sounds of war that had been echoing in her dreams. The sound of footsteps came from near the tent entrance, and Soyoung grabbed her sword on instinct from where it lay on the little table next to her. Her entire body shook from the mere weight of the sword, but every nerve felt on edge at the moment despite having just woken up from what felt like a long slumber. To Soyoung’s relief, the person who walked into the tent was Yeojin. The young general’s eyes widened at the sight that met her gaze, a mixture of relief and surprised fluttering through her expressions.

 

“Finally, you are awake.” She said in relief, a little smile crossing her lips despite the sword currently pointed in her direction, “I thought you were going to sleep forever!” Soyoung blew out her breath as her frazzled nerves calmed down slightly, the familiar sight of Yeojin soothing her heart ever so slightly. 

 

“Have I been asleep for a long time?” She asked at last, finally putting down her sword.

 

“For an entire week.” Yeojin replied, “Everyone has been very worried about you.” Soyoung swallowed hard. With the dream still half on her mind, Soyoung’s personal condition was not the most important thing at the moment.

 

“And our men?” She asked, “How are our soldiers?” Yeojin’s faint smile faded, her eyes avoiding Soyoung’s gaze as she looked away, biting her lip silently. 

 

“Answer me!” Soyoung demanded, slamming her hand against the bed frame. Yeojin sighed deeply before responding.

 

“One third of our soldiers were taken out by the explosives thrown by the enemy army.” She replied at last, “Another ten percent were so severely injured they cannot possibly participate in any future battles this time.” Soyoung felt her heart sink at the news, and she closed her eyes for a moment as she forced herself to swallow what Yeojin had said. 

 

Forty percent of the imperial forces…

 

That means, I only have a little over half of the army to fight against the rebels now.

 

Direct confrontation is completely out of the question.

 

“Dammit.” Soyoung muttered a curse under her breath as she slammed a hand against her bed in frustration, sending a shock of pain up her arm. Although she hated to admit it, this time, the imperial forces had been completely taken off guard. Soyoung had never expected the rebel forces to have firepowder on their hands, much less enough to wipe out nearly half the imperial forces. It was an assumption she shouldn’t have made, and her men had paid the price.  Soyoung had promised her men she would bring them home, and yet…

 

“Soyoung.” Yeojin carefully pushed a warm bowl of medicine into Soyoung’s hands, “You should drink this before you do anything else. You just woke up, you should get some more rest.” Soyoung sighed and shook her head before swallowing the bitter medicine.

 

“I’m not in a position to be resting right now.” She answered, “There’s no time to waste.” 

 

“Actually, there might be more time on your hands than you realize.” Yeojin noted. Soyoung blinked in surprise at the comment.

 

“What do you mean?” She asked. Yeojin rose from her seat and went to bring the territory map over to Soyoung before answering.

 

“We are currently camped out over here.” She said, pointing at one side of the dried out riverbed, “And the rebel forces are camped out over here. In the week that you have been unconscious, the rebels haven’t done a single thing.” Soyoung frowned as she saw Yeojin pointing at the other side of the river.

 

“You mean to tell me, the rebels went to all the hassle to camp out right across from us rather than chase after us as we retreated, then did nothing as the leader of the imperial army lay unconscious and unable to lead them?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Yeojin nodded, her eyes reflecting the same concern that Soyoung felt. 

 

“It makes completely no sense.” Yeojin said, “Our spies have reported that no movement has been detected from the rebel camp at all.” Soyoung felt her mind racing as she turned over this new information in her head. Yeojin was right; the rebel army’s actions, or lack thereof, made completely no sense at the moment. If she had been the leader of the rebels, now would have been a golden opportunity to attack that she certainly wouldn’t have passed up on. Crushing the enemy while they were weak was something that even the simplest soldier knew to do, especially when one side had a clear advantage over the other. 

 

And yet, Yongson hadn’t done a single thing.

 

It was as if...he was waiting for something.

 

But what was he waiting for?

 

Yeojin reached into her sleeve and pulled out a tiny sheet of paper.

 

“Before I forget, this came for you a few days ago.” She said, holding it out to Soyoung. Soyoung took the tiny sheet of paper in her hands and felt a tiny smile cross her lips as she recognized Jinyoung’s elegant handwriting. The message though, had her frowning in confusion. Jinyoung’s letters were usually updates from home, telling Soyoung in short concise sentences that everything was going smoothly in the capital. This time though, it was different. Only one sentence was written on the tiny strip of paper in her hands.

 

“Invasion of Hungary.”

 

Soyoung pursed her lips as she thought back on what she had been taught about her empire’s military history. Long before she had been born, Khan Tulabuga had attempted to invade the country of Hungary, but was stopped short in the Carpathian Mountains by a heavy season of snow. Before he even managed to reach any major cities, the Mongol army suffered heavy casualties as a result of food shortages. Then, when he tried to retreat, the Khan was ambushed by enemy forces, which resulted in a near annihilation of the Mongol forces. The entire raid ended up a complete disaster for Mongolia. But why had Jinyoung sent a message to remind her of that embarrassing battle?

 

Then, a thought came to Soyoung’s mind.

 

Wait a minute...snow?

 

“Yeojin, how is the weather these days?” Soyoung asked. Yeojin looked at Soyoung curiously.

 

“It’s been getting colder.” She answered, “As expected, since winter will be here soon. The palace officials were saying they expect an early winter this year too.” Soyoung nodded her head slowly, everything starting to fall into place.

 

“So that’s what they’re waiting for.” She mused, “ The reason why the rebels camped so close to us, and the reason why they haven’t made a single move until now...they’re waiting for it to snow. That’s what Jinyoung is referring to.” Yeojin thought for a moment, her gaze moving slowly across the map spread out in front of her.

 

“Given our proximity at the moment, if the rebels choose to counterattack when it snows, then in all likeliness, our soldiers will be pushed to…” Her finger moved across the map to the mountains stretched out on the other side of the map.

 

“We could be trapped in the mountains.” Yeojin realized, her face turning grave as she realized the consequences of being trapped there. If the imperial forces were pushed there, then it would be far too easy for the rebel forces to cut off their supply lines. After that happened, all they would have to do was sit and wait for Soyoung’s army to starve, desert the army, or surrender over to the rebels. In short, the failure at Hungary would repeat itself. Soyoung clenched her hand tightly into a fist.

 

There is no way I will let that happen.

 

“But Soyoung, could it be a trap?” Yeojin asked, “How could the Prince Consort have found out about this?” Soyoung shook her head.

 

“Jinyoung teaches Jin students every day.” She said, “They must have done something that made him suspicious. Jinyoung isn’t a rash person, he wouldn’t send a message if he wasn’t sure about something. If there was a trap, it would be to make me think the rebel army was giving up on fighting because they weren’t making any moves. That fool would never have guessed that we already put two and two together.”

 

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Yeojin asked, “Shall I call the other generals here to discuss? I’m sure they will be delighted to see that you are awake.” Soyoung thought for a moment before nodding.

 

“Tell Jia’er to come here as well. But don’t just tell them to report here.” She added, “Instead, tell them to run here, as if in a complete rush.” Yeojin raised an eyebrow.

 

“Someone will think there is an emergency going on.” She noted. Soyoung smirked.

 

“That is exactly what I want.” She answered, “In fact, the more panicked and rushed they look, the better.” Soyoung motioned for Yeojin to come closer, and she quietly whispered her plan into Yeojin’s ear. The young general frowned at what Soyoung was suggesting.

 

“Are you sure that will work?” She asked, “You’re taking a pretty sizable risk.” Soyoung nodded and patted her friend’s hand reassuringly.

 

“It is risky.” She agreed, “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take in this situation. We must end the war as soon as possible, and now we have our backs to the wall. I’m not going to sit and wait for the matter to resolve itself.” A slight smirk turned up the corner of Soyoung’s lips.

 

“I’m not going to play a game of chicken.” She continued, “If they would like to play a game of ‘guarding a tree stump to wait for a rabbit,’ then we will counter with a ‘inflicting self injury to gain the enemy’s confidence.’” Yeojin thought for another moment before nodding.

 

“Very well.” She answered, “I trust your judgment.” 

__________________________________________________________________________

Before long, the sound of pounding feet could be heard throughout the imperial military camp as all of the lead generals rushed towards the empress’ tent. Soldiers stared in surprise as their leaders rushed past, but none were able to get a single answer out of any of them as to what was happening. For a long while, the only sound that could be heard inside the empress’ tent was the sound of hushed unintelligible murmuring. After about an hour, all of the generals, including Yeojin, left the tent again, and went off in different directions in the military camp. Yeojin swept past groups of confused soldiers and ignored their questions, and instead headed directly for the tent where the rebel spy was being held captive. Behind her, Jia’er stopped for a few moments and drew some soldiers aside before ducking his head and speaking to them quietly. The guards in front of the tent were surprised to see Yeojin arrive, but let her in after one glare from her eyes sent their questions fading away before they had even said a word. Once inside, Yeojin took the pail of water she had brought with her and dumped it over the captured man, spluttering him awake from the slumber he had just fallen into.

 

“Who said you could sleep?” She asked coldly as she squatted down to look at their captive. The man had clearly been through a fair share of torture during the past week. Although Soyoung had ordered that he be given good food and water, the lack of sleep was obviously taking a toll on him. The man’s body sagged under Yeojin’s grasp, and he stared up at her in a daze. Still, under his daze lay a rebellious expression.

 

“I have no intention of becoming your pawn.” He wheezed, “You should all just forget about it now!” Yeojin scoffed before reaching up to unlock the chains tying the man to the pole in the center of the tent.

 

“You’re free to go.” She announced, dusting off her hands casually. The man stared at the young general in surprise.

 

“Go?” He repeated, certain that he had heard her wrong, “Go where?” Yeojin laughed.

 

“Back to your own side of course.” She said, “Would you rather spend the rest of your days here, tied up and unable to sleep?” The man looked at her suspiciously, and Yeojin sighed before yanking the man to his feet and dragging him to the entrance of the tent.

 

“Take a careful look.” She said, shoving him towards the entrance. As Yeojin had expected, the air outside was thick with tension and confusion, shushed murmurs filling the air as everyone cast furtive glances at the empress’ tent. Some soldiers were even subtly packing their things, their movements slow as if they wanted to avoid being noticed. The change was slight, but it was clearly there. 

 

“Listen carefully.” Yeojin said, “The empress’ health has taken a turn for the worse. No one knows how long she will survive. We no longer have the resources or the energy to keep you around here, so get back to your own people before we decide to kill you off instead.” The man continued looking around the tent, taking in the tense situation, and slowly, he began to believe what the young general was saying. 

 

“Also,” Yeojin continued, “Go and tell your leaders that I have an offer to make to them.” 

___________________________________________________________________________

Yongson turned and stared in surprise at the spy he had planted among the imperial forces.

 

“What did you say?” He asked, “Say that again!” The man squirmed from where he was kneeling on the ground before answering.

 

“The imperial forces are offering a truce.” He repeated, “Any military leader who agrees to stop fighting will be granted a duchy of their own, which they can rule as their own territory. In theory, the land will still belong to the Yuan empire, but there will be no taxes or tributary requirements put on that territory.” Yongson froze as he took in what the man was saying. The sounds of soft murmurs filled the tent at the sound of the spy’s proclamation, little groups of military leaders ducking their heads to converse in unintelligible whispers. It was a tempting offer, that was for sure.

 

“And who is this offer from?” Yongson asked, still barely able to believe his ears. 

 

“General Han Yeojin, who is second in command to the Empress herself.” The spy replied, “She said the empress’ health has taken a turn for the worse, and many are fearing that she won’t survive for more than a few more days. Morale has fallen inside the military camp, and I saw for myself that some soldiers were already preparing to run away. General Han also said she will send someone to discuss the details with our camp in seven days.”

 

“The imperial forces really are nothing with the empress.” One military leader sneered, “The general is handing us victory without needing us to move even one more soldier!”

 

“I am sure my men will be delighted to hear about this victory!” Another military leader agreed.

 

“Victory?” Yongson scoffed, his tone cold, “Delighted? What are you all talking about? Do you mean to say you want to accept this offer from General Han?”

 

“Would you rather watch more men die when their lives don’t have to be lost?” One military leader replied curtly, “War requires not only brute strength, but wisdom as well. The imperial forces are all but surrendering to us right now. Why should we insist on going to war?” 

 

“Have you forgotten how many of our soldiers died in the hands of the imperial army?” Yongson demanded, “We must exact vengeance for them from the empress herself! Now is the perfect time to make the perfect plan to get rid of her once and for all!”

 

“Why should we continue to sacrifice our men when we can get exactly what we want without doing so?” Another military leader asked firmly, “You are being ridiculous, Young Master Yongson. Has the idea of vengeance gone to your head?” Yongson slammed his hand against the table.

 

“I won’t agree to this!” He snarled. One of the military leaders standing in front of him tsked.

 

“So what if you do not?” The man answered, “Do not forget, Young Master Yongson. You might have brought us all together, but you are by no means our acknowledged leader. We are all working together simply because we have a common goal. None of us here are bound to listen to your orders.” Yongson’s eyes flashed angrily.

 

“How dare you!” He snapped, “If it wasn’t for me, none of you would be standing here today! The rebellion would have been crushed long ago!”

 

“So what?” Another military leader sneered, “Should we all bow to you just because you brought us all together? Or, Young Master Yongson…” The man crossed his arms and leaned in closer to Yongson.

 

“Do you want to become a new emperor and rule over us all instead?” He sneered, “Are you just using us to achieve that goal?” Yongson snarled angrily, and within seconds, his hand was clenched tightly around the man’s neck. The sound of swords being pulled from their sheaths filled the air as the other men in the tent bristled at the sudden move. At last, one of Yongson’s own generals stepped forward and put a hand on Yongson’s shoulder.

 

“Calm down.” The man said, “Now is not the time for comrades to be up in arms against each other.” 

 

“Who would want to be comrades with someone like him?” One military leader snapped angrily, “He thinks he can lord over all of us just because he brought us all together! Take a look at all of the well experienced men here. In our eyes, he is just a hotheaded brat!” Yongson bristled at the comment, but his general tightened his grasp on the younger man’s shoulder and shook his head. Finally, Yongson let go of the man in his grasp and shoved him away. The other military leaders came to help the man back to his feet, their glares as piercing as arrows.

 

“You can do whatever you want, Young Master Yongson.” One military leader said coldly, “But if your wishes do not align with ours, do not expect us to follow your orders.” With one last angry stare, the men strode out of the room before Yongson could even splutter an angry response to them. Yongson growled and shoved his general away from him.

 

“Why did you hold me back?” He snapped, “I must teach those men a lesson! How dare they think I am supposed to listen to them! If we give in now, all of our efforts will go to waste!”

 

“They have their own valid concerns and their own people to protect.” The general answered rationally, “You cannot blame them if they decide to accept General Han’s offer.”

 

“You think it is a good idea as well?” Yongson growled, grabbing the man by his collar.

 

“I will surely listen to your orders.” The general answered, “But the same cannot be expected of the others. Right now, the more important thing is to plan how to completely annihilate the empress and her troops as soon as the first snow falls. You cannot be distracted by other things right now. If those men want to be cowards and surrender, then so be it.” Yongson growled and slammed his fist into the table once more.

 

“I will not lose here.” He growled, “I have come too far to turn back now! I refuse to give in now!”

 

Of course, that was easier said than done. Before long, the news of the lucrative offer from the imperial forces had spread around the rebel troops, and although it meant backing away from resounding victory, the war-worn soldiers were more than a little swayed  by the offer. Some wondered if it was a trap from the empress; after all, it was an offer that sounded a little too good to be true. At the same time though, it was becoming increasingly clear to the rebels that the imperial forces’ condition was stuck in a downward spiral. Scouts sent messages every day reporting news of soldiers deserting camp. The once proud and loyal imperial forces were shrinking in the face of their leader’s impending demise.

 

As the imperial forces appeared to shrink, so did Yongson’s rebel forces. Although his own men remained loyal to him, several groups of soldiers led by men from neighboring provinces began moving away from Yongson’s main camp in an effort to distance themselves from Yongson’s insistence on continuing warfare. Even when Yongson attempted to gather the men together to discuss how to lead the imperial forces into the mountains during the upcoming winter storms, most refused to attend. Yongson made it clear to the men that he was furious about their refusal to cooperate, but his attitude only seemed to make them more insistent on staying away from him. Slowly, but surely, the rebel forces began breaking apart. 

___________________________________________________________________________

Six days later

 

Soyoung sipped carefully at the bowl of medicine that Yeojin had brought her, grimacing at the bitter taste.

 

“Why does medicine always taste so bitter?” She grumbled, forcing herself to down the rest of the bowl. Yeojin chuckled.

 

“The more bitter, the better.” She reminded, “Isn’t that what Prince Eunseong always says?” Soyoung frowned and shoved the bowl back at her general.

 

“My brother’s theories don’t make it taste any better.” She muttered. If Jinyoung was here, he would have likely kissed all of her grumbles away along with the bitter taste lingering on her tongue. Unfortunately, her little poet was far away in the capital, and Soyoung wanted nothing more than to rush back into his arms as soon as possible. Now, the only thing that stood between her and what she wanted was the plan she had put into place. 

 

The sound of footsteps came towards the doorway, and Soyoung heard Jia’er’s voice speak.

 

“Your Majesty, may I have an audience?” He asked. 

 

“Come in.” Soyoung called out in response. The tall young nobleman stepped in at her response.

 

“Your Majesty.” He greeted, “General Han.” Soyoung cast a quick glance over at her friend, who only pursed her lips together in the tiniest smile in response to the greeting.

 

That’s an improvement at least.

 

“Do you have news about the rebel forces?” Soyoung asked. Jia’er nodded. 

 

“As Your Majesty expected, many of the rebel forces were swayed by General Han’s supposed offer to give them near independence in exchange for ending their participation in the war.” He said, “The scouts have reported that many groups have been spotted moving away from the main rebel camp already.” Soyoung smirked as she took in the news.

 

“They really did take the bait.” She scoffed with a satisfied smile. 

 

“They are just as tired of war as we are.” Yeojin answered, “And on top of that, they are being led by an incompetent youngster. I would have been surprised if they didn’t fall for it.” Soyoung laughed softly and nodded in agreement.

 

“Indeed.” She said, “Their weak leadership will certainly be their downfall.” From the beginning, Soyoung had never intended to hand over any pieces of land to the rebels, much less create even a single duchy. It had all been a ploy of psychological warfare. Although her forces had been hit with heavy casualties, Soyoung could clearly see that there was an imbalance of power among the rebel forces. Normal armies followed a well structured chain of command; one person clearly stood at the top, followed by second in command generals, and so on. No matter what, the person at the top had the final say in any decisions during warfare. And yet, Soyoung had predicted that the same didn’t hold for Yongson’s rebel forces. 

 

On the surface, it looked like Yongson had a large army under his command, but on closer look, it was clear that things were very different from Soyoung’s imperial forces. The rebel forces were made up of groups of men from various backgrounds and provinces, each with their own set of training and leaders that they had been following all this time. It would be highly unlikely for Yongson to have earned all of their trust and obedience within the short time he had taken his father’s place as chief of the rebel forces.  He was young and rash, prone to rush forward first and think later. Soyoung hadn’t seen much of the young rebel leader, but it was obvious to a well experienced eye that a self confident man with little respect for others couldn’t command even the most basic army, let alone an entire rebel militia.  At most, he could only rely on his own soldiers that he inherited from his father. Given his father’s sudden death though, Soyoung doubted he even had the complete obedience of those men. Each line of different allegiances was a crack in the system, and it was those cracks that Soyoung had sought to exploit during the past week.

 

After all, when one couldn’t afford a direct confrontation, the smartest idea was to use psychological warfare. And this time, given the reports she was getting, Soyoung was emerging on the winning side. Soyoung was dangling the biggest, fattest piece of meat right in front of a bunch of rabid and tired dogs, and it was coming directly from their own spy; it was only natural at least some would take the bait. On the other hand, knowing Yongson’s style, Soyoung had predicted that he would be against giving in so easily. 

 

And now, with just a little push, those cracks were now breaking the rebel forces apart.

 

And that, also meant that it was time for Soyoung to make her move.

 

“How is the building going on?” Soyoung asked. 

 

“The soldiers that gradually left the military camp have been hard at work preparing bridges that will help us get across the dry river bank easily.” Yeojin replied, “I received reports today that they have been putting the finishing touches on it today.” Soyoung nodded in satisfaction. 

 

“Jia’er, go and check on how they’re doing right now.” Soyoung ordered, “Even if they are finished, tell the soldiers to stay among the trees so the rebel forces don’t see them. I want them to continue thinking we have far fewer soldiers than we actually do.” Jia’er bowed.

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He said, “Then, I shall take my leave.” Soyoung waved him off before catching Yeojin looking curiously at her.

 

“You look like you have a question.” Soyoung noted with an amused smile.

 

“No.” Yeojin replied, “I was just going to say you weren’t wrong when you chose Wang Jia’er to be the messenger between your hidden soldiers and the main camp.” Soyoung smiled faintly at her friend. Ever since she had set her plan in motion, she had been sending messages through Jia’er to the soldiers that made up her imperial forces. During the past six days, while soldiers had been steadily leaving the camp, it wasn’t because they intended to desert because they had an impression that Soyoung was no longer able to lead them. Instead, it had been because Soyoung had ordered them to leave to create the illusion that her forces were weakening and boosting the confidence of the rebel forces. In reality, the soldiers were hidden among the trees close to the imperial camp, preparing for Soyoung’s counterattack while hidden away from the eyes of the rebel spies. In the meantime, Jia’er had become the easiest messenger for Soyoung to use. He wasn’t an official member of the imperial army after all; as far as the rebel army knew, he was only a chef in the camp who knew a little martial arts. It would be much easier for him to fly under the radar than any of the higher ranked military leaders that Soyoung trusted.

 

“Oh?” She said, “Are you finally seeing something good about Young Master Wang?” Yeojin scoffed.

 

“Hardly.” She answered, “He’s still as much of a flirt as ever. The most I will say is I must admit he can be helpful when it becomes necessary.” Soyoung chuckled.

 

“I will not tease you if you start liking him, you know.” She said with an amused smile. Yeojin scoffed again and gave Soyoung a light punch in the arm.

 

“Cut the nonsense and get back to business.” Yeojin muttered, “Getting rid of the rebels comes first and foremost before anything. You have a second step in your plan, don’t you?” Soyoung smirked.

 

“Of course.” She answered, “And it will begin tonight.”

 

“Are you sure your body will be up for it?” Yeojin asked hesitantly, looking worriedly at the bandages still wrapped around Soyoung. The young empress gave her friend a wry smile.

 

“I am their leader.” She replied simply, “And I am the one who led them into this warfare. I will not have my soldiers go into battle without me.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Soyoung

 

As night fell, the rebel soldiers retired for the night as always, many of them wondering what the next day would bring. After all, General Han had said that she would be sending a messenger to talk about handing over land and the creation of the duchys on the seventh day after she had released the rebel spy. The air was thick with both tension and anticipation.

 

Unfortunately, for the soldiers who were anticipating a beneficial peace talk during the following day, their hopes would be dashed long before the sun rose.

 

For a few hours after the rebel camp fell into the depths of slumber, nothing appeared to be amiss.

 

Then, as the moon rose further into the sky, dark clothed figures slipped from the imperial military’s camp and moved silently across the grassland plain before coming to a stop right by the edge of the river. Under the darkness of the night and away from the light of any torches, the figures were hidden perfectly from sight.

 

In one fluid motion, each of the figures drew arrows from the sheaths slung over their shoulders, swiftly attached a small bag of the remaining imperial firepowder onto the back of the arrow, and lit the bag before shooting the arrows directly across the dried riverbed and into the rebel camp grounds. The flaming firepowder exploded everywhere it landed, sending ablaze every surface it touched. Before long, the sounds of panicked shouts and cries filled the air as everything was suddenly on fire. Horrified men rushed everywhere in an attempt to put out the fires, but it was already too late. The fast moving blaze consumed everything in its path, and it only took a few more moments for the rebel soldiers’ next obstacle to appear. 

 

More soldiers quickly appeared from the imperial military camp carrying long makeshift wooden bridges they had been creating while hidden away from the rebel army’s eyes. Otherwise distracted with the fast spreading flames, the rebel soldiers could only watch in horror as the bridges were laid down with a thwack, creating a perfect crossing for the imperial soldiers on the other side. Before long, a large group of soldiers appeared on horseback, one figure standing out in particular at the front.

 

“It’s the Empress!” One scout screamed in horror, “The Empress is alive!” Indeed, there was no doubting the identity of the figure astride a midnight black warhorse standing at the very front of the imperial army. Jang Soyoung’s dark eyes glittered under the moonlight, the sharp gaze making it clear that she had no intention of showing any mercy to the rebel forces.

 

“My Lord!” One soldier screamed as he rushed to where Yongson was attempting to create some order out of the ongoing chaos, “My Lord!” 

 

“What is it?” Yongson demanded, “It better be important, or else-” 

 

“Her Majesty is about to attack our camp!” The soldier yelled in horror before Yongson could even finish his irritated sentence. Yongson’s jaw dropped, his body freezing as he stared at the soldier.

 

“What are you talking about?” He demanded, grabbing the soldier by the collar, “Isn’t the Empress supposed to be on her deathbed, or even already gone to the next life? Isn’t that what the spies said?” 

 

“That is what they said!” The soldier cried, “But we all saw it with our very own eyes! She was like the goddess of war herself, astride a horse that is as black as night!” Yongson growled in irritation and shoved the soldier away.

 

“Send a message to the militia that moved away from the main camp.” He ordered sharply, “We need all the reinforcements we can get!” The soldier rushed away to complete his order, and Yongson headed for the riverbed to see what was going on. Jang Soyoung’s voice reached his ears before he saw the young ruler herself.

 

“Men!” Her loud voice echoed throughout the night, the strength and determination in it making Yongson’s blood run cold, “Tonight, I only have one order for you.” Although there was no way she could see that clearly in the nighttime, Jang Soyoung’s gaze seemed to land directly on Yongson as soon as he reached the edge of the riverbed.

 

“Except for the rebel leader Yongson, kill with no mercy.” Soyoung’s voice growled. The men roared their approval at Soyoung’s order, and the trumpet signaling a direct charge blared into the night sky. The imperial army charged, the bridges that they had prepared serving as the perfect method to get them across the dry riverbed in record speed. Yongson stared in horror as he watched the imperial army draw closer, and then did the only thing he could before reinforcements arrived to help him.

 

He turned and fled.

_______________________________________________________________________

Soyoung

 

“Should I go after him?” Yeojin asked Soyoung as they both caught sight of Yongson turning and fleeing away from the charging imperial army. 

 

“It’s fine.” Soyoung answered as she cut down a rebel soldier, “I will make sure he has no chance to escape.” For what felt like hours, the battle raged on, although it quickly became clear who had the upper hand. The imperial army had completely taken the rebel soldiers by surprise, and Soyoung’s choice in using the last of their firepowder had been wise and useful. Several rebel supplies had been destroyed by the flaming arrows, and the soldiers were already all in too big of a panic to even begin thinking of any strategies to defend themselves against the attacking imperial army. In short, they were all running around like disorganized chickens with their heads cut off, or in other words, sitting ducks just waiting for Soyoung’s soldiers to finish them off. It didn’t take long for the rebel forces in the main camp to be decimated, and Soyoung’s sharp gaze began searching for Yongson. Everything in her body still ached from the sting of her still healing wounds, but Soyoung knew she couldn’t stop until that one person in particular was in her hands. It didn’t take long for her to find him, as it wasn’t like he was even trying to hide from her. The sharp angry sound of his voice reached Soyoung’s ears before she even saw him.

 

“What do you mean there are no reinforcements?” Yongson’s furious voice drifted out from behind one burning tent, “I am their leader, they should come help me when I am in trouble!” 

 

“Th-they said that you chose to fight instead of accepting the peace terms!” An unfamiliar soldier’s voice answered in fear, “They have all refused to come and help!” 

 

“You are all useless!” Yongson screamed as he shoved the terrified soldier away from him. Before the soldier could take a single step away, Yongson took his sword and slashed the man to death, giving him not even a single chance to apologize before ending the young man’s life. Unable to bring herself to watch any longer, Soyoung reached behind her and pulled out her personal bow, neatly notching one arrow against the elaborately decorated surface before letting it sail through the air. Yongson jumped as the arrow landed a mere inch away from his foot, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Soyoung sitting calmly on her horse a few feet away. His eyes were wide with fear in the glow of the flames burning all around him, and judging by his disheveled hair and dirt covered clothes, he had obviously already been attacked by multiple soldiers in the short time that had passed after Soyoung had ambushed the main rebel camp. The look in his eyes reminded Soyoung of a cornered wild animal just moments before it was shot down during an imperial hunt, and in that moment, Soyoung knew that she had won.

 

“Killing your own man without batting an eyelash.” Soyoung noted coolly, “It is no wonder your soldiers are not loyal to you. What fool would follow a violent leader who doesn’t even value the lives of his own brothers in arms?” A slight smirk turned up the corner of her lip.

 

“But then, I would never expect a man like you to understand the value of camaraderie between a general and his soldiers.” She scoffed, letting a slight sneer enter her voice. The crazed look deepened in Yongson’s eyes, and his hand shook as he reached down and pulled out his sword before aiming it at Soyoung.

 

“It is not over yet!” He screamed, “I refuse to lose to the likes of you! How could I lose to a mere woman? You should be dead by now!” Yongson lunged at Soyoung, and the young empress flipped neatly off her horse and swept forward before parrying the blow with a loud clang of steel against steel. The force of the blow sent a tremble through Soyoung’s battered body, but she gritted her teeth and managed to shove Yongson away. The young man stumbled as she pushed him away, his fear gnawing away the calm and clear minded head that a military leader always needed to have. He screamed as he lunged at Soyoung again, and she neatly dodged to the side before giving him a sharp kick in the side that sent him sprawling to the ground. The sound of their sword clashing against each other filled the air again as Soyoung attacked him first this time, and Yongson’s teeth grit together as he tried to push Soyoung away.

 

“How are you still alive?” He growled, “The spies all said you were about to die!” Soyoung smirked as she continued pressing down on her sword, her hands pressing the blade ever further down towards Yongson’s shoulder.

 

“How?” She repeated, “The answer is very easy. Because unlike you, I actually have two precious people who are waiting for me to return as soon as possible. And so, I cannot possibly die here on this battlefield before I see those two people again. Of course, a person like you, who could kill your own father, would never understand that.” It was something that Soyoung had only been guessing at over the past few months, but judging by the startled look in Yongson’s eyes, she knew she had guessed right. Taking advantage of the little opening she had been giving, Soyoung gave her sword one more shove, which knocked Yongson’s sword out of his trembling hands and allowed the edge of Soyoung’s weapon to bury itself into his shoulder. The young man let out a howl of pain as the sharp edge made contact with his body.

 

“And as for my gender?” Soyoung growled, “I may be a woman, but that doesn’t make me any worse than a man, particularly a man like you. At the very least, I understand what I must do to lead an army to victory. And you? In your eyes, only your selfish desires are the most important. That, is the cause of your downfall today.” Yongson’s eyes narrowed in anger, and he shoved aside Soyoung with a loud shout of fury. Although his body was already completely battered, Soyoung watched as he tried to get away from her, barely making a few steps before falling over his own feet and tumbling to the ground before resorting to crawling away from her. Blowing out her breath slowly, Soyoung sighed and pulled out her bow and arrow again. 

 

“Some people just don’t know when to give up.” She muttered. Barely so much as batting an eyelash, Soyoung shot one arrow into the fleeing rebel leader’s leg, sending a howl of pain into the air. Before he could collect his senses and keep going, Soyoung notched another arrow into her bow, taking only one second to aim before letting the arrow slice through the air and land in Yongson’s shoulder. The rebel leader crumpled to the ground, his loud shouts of pain filling the air. Irritation filling her chest, Soyoung stepped forward and yanked Yongson up by the collar.

 

“Listen carefully.” She growled, “If your brother hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t even bother sparing your life right now. If I could choose, I would kill you now and leave your body in the woods for the wild animals to tear and break apart. But I gave your brother a promise, and I am a woman of my word. With a brother who loves you even now, you should have been satisfied with what you had. And yet, you desired for what didn’t belong to you.” Yongson growled despite knowing that he wouldn’t die.

 

“Just kill me now!” He taunted, “Don’t you hate me? Don’t forget, your men died in my hands!” Soyoung smirked and reached down to push down the arrow embedded into the man’s shoulder, causing him to let out another howl of pain. 

 

“Indeed they did.” She agreed, “But even if I killed you now, that wouldn’t even begin to make a dent in the hate that I hold for you, nor would it even begin paying for the lives lost in your hands. Death for you would be far too easy.” Her eyes narrowed as she patted a gloved hand mockingly against Yongson’s cheek.

 

“Once we return to the capital, I will have you pay back everything that you owe, little by little.” She said coldly, “And then, you will know what it means to be in a living hell. Only then, will the spirits of people killed by your soldiers even begin to be appeased.” The sound of marching footsteps reached her ears, and Soyoung looked up to see Yeojin appear with a group of soldiers. 

 

“You really didn’t let him get away.” Yeojin noted, taking in Yongson’s completely defeated state. Soyoung smirked and shoved Yongson to the ground.

 

“Of course.” She replied simply, “Take him away and tie him up in the prison. Make sure he stays alive until we return to the capital. I’ll have to question him later.” Yeojin nodded and motioned to a few soldiers to carry out Soyoung’s order. Soyoung rose to her feet, and immediately felt herself stagger as the adrenaline began fading from her body. Slowly, she became aware of an aching pain in her back, combined with a stabbing pain that indicated that her still unhealed ribs had been injured again. 

 

“Soyoung.” Yeojin’s gentle hand clasped around Soyoung’s shoulder to steady her, and Soyoung clasped her friend’s hand reassuringly.

 

“I’ll be fine after some rest.” She answered quietly. Truth be told, all Soyoung wanted to do was collapse in bed and rest for the next month, but everyone still needed her right now. Now was not the time for her to just drop everything yet. 

 

For the rest of the night, Soyoung busied herself with tying up all the loose ends and rounding up the remaining rebels who were still hiding in the main camp. As the sun rose, Soyoung went alone to the side camps where the soldiers who had defected from Yongson had gathered. Taking note of the rather quiet camp, Soyoung guessed that more than a few soldiers had guessed that Soyoung had never intended to give them land and near independence, and had fled from the military camp as a result during the attack on the main camp. Still, that didn’t mean that the remaining soldiers weren’t on guard. During her short walk across the camp, Soyoung had swords pointed in her direction with every step she took, all pairs of eyes watching her warily. She couldn’t blame them; after all, the main camp had just been ambushed and destroyed the night before, and Yeojin had supposedly told them a representative would be sent, not the empress herself. It was only natural that they would be cautious. 

 

“You can put your swords away.” Soyoung said calmly as she walked into the main tent in the middle of the camp, “I didn’t come to take your lives today.” The military leaders exchanged cautious looks before motioning to the soldiers to put their weapons away. Things weren’t happening the way they had imagined it, but they were smarter than Yongson and knew better than to risk the best deal they could potentially get out of the empress. Soyoung swept to a stop at the front of the main tent and took a careful look down at the men who were all staring back at her with a mixture of expectation and apprehension. At last, the oldest military leader spoke.

 

“Your Majesty, we did not expect you to come here alone today.” He said. Soyoung smirked slightly while crossing her arms.

 

“Of course.” She answered, “I could not possibly leave something like this to someone else.” A hopeful look entered the older man’s eyes.

 

“Then, Your Majesty intends to…?” He asked, letting his sentence trail off.

 

“No.” Soyoung answered flatly, “I am not here to give what you think I am about to give.” The men bristled at Soyoung’s statement, the air in the tent growing tense. 

 

“Your Majesty, you are known to be a person who keeps her word.” The first military leader said, “That is why we chose to believe your offer.” Soyoung scoffed.

 

“Because you believed in my character?” She scoffed, “Please, don’t make me laugh. You only decided to take the offer because you all believed I was on my deathbed and you could get whatever you wanted from my generals.” The older military leader’s faces blanched at Soyoung’s matter of fact observation. Soyoung smirked.

 

“But then, that was exactly what I wanted you to think.” She continued, “After all, I never intended to name anyone a duke, nor was I going to just give near independence to people who rose up against me. My soldiers aren’t fools; even if I was on my deathbed, they would have fought to the end. But if I didn’t make it seem that way, none of you would have split from Yongson so easily, now am I right?” The men exchanged glances before any of them answered.

 

“Your Majesty.” Another military leader said, “We may be rebels, but we do not take easily the fact that we have been deceived.” The men jumped as Soyoung slammed her hand against the desk at the front of the tent.

 

“Oh?” She said, her voice turning into a low growl, “And were the ones who played dirty tricks to destroy my store of firepowder, which led to the deaths of thousands of my loyal soldiers? This is war; you should know very well that the usual rules of etiquette do not apply for either side.” Soyoung kept speaking before any of the men could protest, unrolling the map she had brought with her as she did so.

 

“I will give you all land.” She announced, “But not in the way you all thought I would.” Soyoung pointed to particular spots on the map as she spoke.

 

“I know that your people have been finding it difficult to make a living in recent years, particularly since the rainy season was shorter this year.” She said, “And so, I will give to each of your provinces a part of the nearby land that has been sitting untouched under imperial rule ever since I took the throne. That land is known to be fertile, and even with fewer rainstorms it should yield more than enough crops to feed your people. Of course, you will all have to pay taxes and give tribute on an annual basis, as you do with the land you currently occupy.” Soyoung rolled the map closed and slapped it against the wooden desk with an audible thwack.

 

“I am a person who marks a clear line between punishment and rewards.” She said, “This land will be a reward of sorts for making the right choice in not siding with Yongson. No matter how you look at it, this gift will only serve to benefit all of you and your people.” After a long moment of silence, one military leader ventured a question.

 

“And what does Your Majesty intend to do if we refuse to accept?” He asked. Soyoung fixated her gaze on him for a long moment, her gaze cold enough to make the older man shudder.

 

“Did you really think I came here alone?” She answered. The men looked confused for a moment before the sound of beating drums suddenly filled the air. Before anyone could figure out what it was, a terrified soldier rushed in from outside.

 

“General!” He shouted in horror, “The imperial army is approaching!” Several military leaders rushed to the tent entrance in response to the soldier’s report. Soyoung didn’t go with them, but she knew very well what they would see. They would hear the sound of pounding hoofbeats coming from over the hillside, see the imperial generals leading the front of the approaching group, and see the dust beaten into the air by the mere size of the army approaching them. 

 

Of course, the approaching army was a lot smaller than what it seemed. After the most recent battle, Soyoung had far fewer soldiers on her hands than she had at the beginning. At most, the approaching forces were the same size as the rebel army currently camped out below them. 

 

The rebel forces, of course, didn’t know that. 

 

Soyoung had instructed Yeojin to have the soldiers in the back tie long branches to the back of their horses, just low enough that the wood would scrape the ground as the horses galloped, creating a dust cloud and a mirage that a much larger group of soldiers were approaching. It was a trick that had been used by countless khans in the past, and it always worked exceptionally well to frighten the enemy.

 

“Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?” One general demanded, “Is this how the ruler of the empire conducts peace talks?” Soyoung smirked.

 

“Do not forget that we are in a war, General.” She answered calmly, “Right now, you all have two choices. One, accept the land that I am offering to you with no titles to be given on top of that. Or two, do not take my offer and instead fight to your death with me.” Multiple soldiers moved to draw their swords, but Soyoung continued speaking.

 

“You could try to attack me.” She continued, “But what do you think is faster? Your swords, or my archers?” The warning was clear; with the battle from the night before still fresh on everyone’s minds, now was not the time to test what the empress was capable of doing. Exchanging looks one more time, the older military generals took a deep breath before crossing their right arm over their chest to touch their left shoulder and kneeling down on one knee in front of Soyoung.

 

“We shall accept Your Majesty’s gracious offer.” They intoned in unison, “We thank Your Majesty for your grace.” The younger soldiers exchanged dissatisfied glances, but in the face of their leaders’ decisions, they had no other choice but to follow suit. Soyoung smiled in satisfaction as she saw their acquiescence, then stepped outside briefly to send the signal to call off her soldiers.

 

“Excellent.” Soyoung said coolly as she stepped back into the tent, “Then please come forward and sign this agreement I have brought with me.”

 

By the time everything was all said and done, Soyoung could barely keep on her feet. Her footsteps swayed slightly as she returned to her own camp, her vision blurring ever so slightly.

 

“Soyoung, are you sure you can keep going?” Yeojin asked from her side, “You should go rest.” 

 

“I’ll last for a little longer.” Soyoung assured her, “Where is Yongson?” 

 

“Tied up in the prisoner tent as you ordered.” Yeojin replied, “Do you intend to interrogate him now?”

 

“Better now than after he’s had enough time to come up with a fake story to cover his actions.” Soyoung replied. Yeojin sighed before nodding in agreement and leading the way to the prisoner’s tent. Yongson was tied up unmoving in the middle of the tent, not even bothering to look up as Soyoung entered the tent.

 

“The Empress has arrived.” One guard growled, “You should say your greetings!” Yongson barely moved in response to the announcement, and Soyoung sighed as the guard moved to yank Yongson up by his chains.

 

“Forget it.” She said, “Don’t waste time doing that.” The guard bowed and backed away, and Soyoung sat down in a chair in front of the tied up former leader of the rebellion army.

 

“Your rebellion is over.” She stated coolly, “The rest of the soldiers have agreed to take a peace agreement.” Yongson was silent for a long moment, and for a second Soyoung wondered if he had fallen unconscious. After another moment of heavy silence though, he lifted his head slightly to look at Soyoung before laughing, the sound growing ever the more maniacal the longer it went. Soyoung simply crossed her arms and let him continue until the man had run out of breath.

 

“You think you have won just because you won the war?” Yongson sneered, “Don’t be so naive!” Soyoung’s eyes narrowed as she stared down at him.

 

“What are you talking about?” She asked. Yongson scoffed.

 

“You may have won the war.” He said, “But even if I cannot get what I want, there are still plenty of ways to make you suffer in retribution for destroying my rebellion. Rest assured, Empress of Yuan, if I cannot live on happily, then neither can you. I will make sure you lose the things that are the most important to you!” 

 

“Enough with the petty threats.” Soyoung said coolly, “I only came to ask you two questions. Who was the person who taught you to hold out to trap me in the mountains once the snow fell? And who was the one who provided you with firepowder?” Yongson sneered again at her as he gazed up at the young empress.

 

“No one.” He answered, although both his tone and expression suggested otherwise, “No one taught me anything.” For the next ten minutes, no matter how Soyoung tried to ask him, Yongson refused to reveal the identity of the person who had been guiding him through the war and provided him with firepowder. At last, she signed and rose from her seat.

 

“This is getting nowhere.” She murmured to Yeojin, “Give him just enough food and water to keep him alive until we return to the capital. I must get an answer out of him sooner or later.” Yeojin bowed in acquiescence, and Soyoung returned to her own tent. She sighed deeply as she sat down on her bed, completely worn out from the past twenty four hours. For some reason though, the threat from Yongson kept repeating in her mind even as she closed her eyes and tried to get some rest.

 

I will make sure you lose the things that are the most important to you!

 

Soyoung scoffed to herself.

 

“What nonsense.” She muttered, “What could he possibly do all the way out here?” Then, her thoughts began to wander through the possibilities, and Soyoung’s eyes widened slightly as her mind settled on what Yongson could mean by his words.

 

The most important to me…

 

That would be...Jinyoung and Jinwoo.

 

He couldn’t possibly do anything on his own, but if he really was following instructions from someone in the Khanbaliq, then…

 

Soyoung felt go dry as she realized that her husband and son could very well be sitting ducks while she was out here, far far away and unable to protect them. Her hand clenching tightly into a fist, Soyoung rose quickly from the bed, all feelings of exhaustion gone in an instant.

 

“Yeojin!” Soyoung said sharply as she strode briskly out of her tent, “Han Yeojin!” Yeojin turned from where she had been speaking Jia’er before hurrying to her side.

 

“What is it?” She asked, “Is it an emergency?” Soyoung snapped her fingers.

 

“Tell the soldiers to begin packing up.” She said, “We will set out to return to the capital tonight.” Yeojin’s eyes widened slightly.

 

“Tonight?” The young general repeated in surprise, “Soyoung, you cannot be serious.” 

 

“Does it look like I’m joking?” Soyoung asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“First, tell me what is going on.” Yeojin said firmly, “You know our soldiers are tired, and many of them are injured. There is no way they can begin the journey home by tonight. You usually wait at least a day, why are you rushing this time?” Soyoung sighed and forced herself to take a deep breath.

 

“I just can’t stop thinking about Yongson’s threat.” She said at last, “I might just be overthinking it, but if he really does have someone instructing him in the capital, then they could very well use Jinyoung or Jinwoo or both against me in retaliation for losing the war. If anything happened to either of them, it would hurt me far more than losing a piece of territory from the empire.” Yeojin sighed and thought for a moment.

 

“I can see where you’re coming from.” She said at last, “But Soyoung, rushing to return home will do you no good right now. What Yongson wants is for you to panic and lose all sense of reason. If you rush everyone to go now, that would be falling directly into his trap. Our soldiers are tired and cannot move quickly. Just wait another two more days, alright?”

 

“I cannot hesitate when it comes to those two-!” Soyoung began, but Yeojin shook her head again.

 

“Two days.” The young general said firmly, “Calm down for a moment and think. If Yongson, or whoever is behind him, wanted you to truly suffer as he said, then even if, let’s say, the Prince Consort was kidnapped, they wouldn’t touch a hair on his head until you returned. After all, it would hurt more for you to see him killed in front of your own eyes rather than receive a body, right? Whether you rush home now or rush home in two days, that won’t change the prince’s current situation.” Soyoung took a deep breath as she thought over what Yeojin had said. In the end, she had to admit that her friend was right. In all likeliness, Jinyoung was safe for now. On the flip side, if she pushed her soldiers to move as soon as the war was over, then it was likely many of them would die of exhaustion on the way back, and Soyoung would be to blame for unnecessary deaths. Blowing out her breath slowly, Soyoung nodded.

 

“Alright.” She said, “Two days. But that is the maximum time I am waiting.” Yeojin smiled and squeezed Soyoung’s shoulder.

 

“Go and rest.” She said, “The prince will be alright.” Soyoung nodded and turned to return to her tent. She closed her eyes as she lay back down on her bed, but sleep seemed intent on evading her. Finally, Soyoung blew out her breath and resorted to staring up at the thatched ceiling of her tent.

 

Jinyoung, please stay safe until I return.

____________________________________________________________________________

Khanbaliq, Jinyoung

 

Jinyoung sighed as he looked over the papers on his desk one more time before shoving them away. No matter how he looked at it, there were no signs of the ordered firepowder going anywhere except the imperial palace, which had been the only buyer to order any. In fact, that was the only buyer allowed to purchase firepowder in the entire empire. In the past few days, he had spent hours examining the merchandise receipts reported from the approved firepowder sellers, but he had found no leads from any of them. He had expected it to be difficult, but this was becoming harder than he had imagined. On top of it all, he still hadn’t received any letters from Soyoung lately. Jinyoung sighed and turned his attention to another stack of papers. 

 

Maybe it’s time to look at other things first.

 

Jinyoung let his eyes run over a stack of shipping receipts from the merchants at the port, his mind barely taking in anything. He made a habit of looking at the shipping receipts to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, but usually everything was as normal as it could be so recently, he had only been skimming over the receipts. This time though, something made Jinyoung pause. Wondering if he had read wrong, Jinyoung flipped back to the page he had just been reading, his eyes carefully moving over the handwritten lines of text one more time. 

 

That cannot be right.

 

Jinyoung rose from his chair quickly and hurried to where the older receipts were kept for recordkeeping, his fingers moving quickly to pull out the receipts for one ship in particular. His brow furrowing, Jinyoung looked carefully down at the paper in his hand. If he hadn’t remembered wrong…

 

Yes, that’s what it was.

 

This ship’s cargo weight in particular was far smaller this month than it was last month.

 

Of course, any particular ship’s cargo size was never exactly the same from one month to another. Supply and demand varied all the time, Jinyoung understood that much. But this time, the difference in weight was too large for Jinyoung to just brush off as a typical variation. To make things more suspicious, the ship was listed under a merchant from Jin. Given the circumstances, this was quickly becoming too large of a coincidence for Jinyoung. Swallowing hard, Jinyoung clenched his hand tighter around the receipt.

 

A seemingly innocent merchant ship, typically used to shuttle food and basic supplies from one port to another, would be the perfect shield to use to send firepowder to the rebel army.

 

That would be the perfect explanation for the odd change in cargo weight from one month to another.

 

As to who gave them the firepowder…

 

Jinyoung swallowed hard and called one of the eunuchs.

 

“Go and investigate this person.” He said after writing down the name of the shipowner and handing it to his servant, “His background, where he came from, who he has been seen with the most recently, I must know everything. Do it as soon as possible.” The servant bowed and left the room, and Jinyoung blew out his breath slowly. 

 

Soyoung, are you alright out there?

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

It didn’t take long for the eunuch to return with news, and when he thought back on it later, Jinyoung wondered if he should have been more suspicious that the eunuch could give such detailed information within two days. At the time though, he didn’t think much of it, and eagerly took in the information that the servant gave him. According to what the eunuch told him, the owner of the ship in question actually had ties to the fallen Jin dynasty, which had been taken down by a khan long before Soyoung had even been born. While his connection to the Jin imperial family was not clear, there were always some murmurings that a descendant of the Jin imperial family had survived the Mongol takeover back in the day and his descendants had been looking for opportunities to rebuild the Jin empire to its former glory. Jinyoung was never one to believe rumors, but this time, he couldn’t help but wonder if this seemingly innocent shipowner could be linked to that in any way. At last, Jinyoung decided that sitting around speculating was not going to get him anywhere, and he didn’t want to wait until Soyoung returned before voicing his thoughts. His wife would be exhausted by the time she returned; it was better for him to have things in place before she came back.

 

And so, the next day, Jinyoung made his way down to the docks with a few guards in tow to search for the questionable ship. To be safe, he left Jinwoo with Eunseong before he left, making sure to remind his brother in law more than once not to let the little boy out of his sight, no matter how Jinwoo whined or made a fuss.

 

The man seemed amiable enough, and when Jinyoung raised questions about his shipment records, he quickly invited Jinyoung inside the ship to speak further. The guards hesitated to let Jinyoung go inside alone, but Jinyoung figured that there were some things that the man would not admit with the guards in the same room. It was risky, but seemed worth it if he was to obtain useful information. If anything happened, he would call for their help. 

 

“Your Highness, what can I do for you today?” The man asked when they had stepped inside a little meeting room inside the ship. Jinyoung smiled politely and took out the two receipts from his sleeve.

 

“It’s nothing much, really.” He said, pushing the sheets of paper towards the man, “I happened to be looking over the merchants’ receipts, and I saw that there was a rather large discrepancy between your reports from last month and this month. It seems odd, don’t you think?” A look of surprise flashed briefly across the man’s face before his expressions became composed again.

 

“Is that so?” He said, “Let me take a look.” The man examined the receipts for a few long moments before he gave Jinyoung a calm smile.

 

“This is no reason to be alarmed, Your Highness.” He said at last, “There was an unusually high demand for dried meat last month in Jin due to the brewing war. This extra weight is from that plus some other protective equipment for the men there.” Jinyoung raised an eyebrow.

 

“So you are saying you were selling goods from the capital to the enemy soldiers?” He queried, “Or were you secretly feeding them information?” The man’s eyes widened and he immediately fell to his knees.

 

“Your Highness, I was only a middle man!” He protested firmly, “I have no rebellious intentions, I promise! All I want is to earn a living as an honest businessman. Your Highness cannot blame me for that! Where the goods went after I delivered them, I do not know!” Jinyoung sighed.

 

“Fine, I will leave political matters to the empress once she returns.” He answered, “But tell me. How am I supposed to believe that this big of a difference is merely due to extra food?” The man frowned.

 

“Your Highness can check with the person who received the goods at the next port.” He offered, “I am sure he can confirm for me.” Jinyoung sighed. 

 

“Fine.” He said, “Get me the man’s name.” Jinyoung watched as the man rose to his feet and went to write something down on a piece of paper. A slight frown pursed Jinyoung’s lips as he sipped at the tea that had been poured for him.

 

He sure writes properly for a simple merchant. It’s almost like...a nobleman taught him.

 

How strange.

 

As the man returned to him with the sheet of paper, Jinyoung decided to ask one more question.

 

“Have you heard of the firepowder that was used against the imperial army recently?” He asked, “It’s quite curious how the rebel army got it, don’t you think?” Another look of surprise flashed across the man’s face for a mere moment before it settled back into the calm mask.

 

“I am not knowledgeable enough to know how rebel armies do their work.” He answered smoothly. Jinyoung cast his gaze around the large ship they were in.

 

“That is true.” He answered, “But don’t you think a merchant’s ship would be the best way to deliver those goods while hiding any signs of it?” The man’s jaw tightened ever so slightly.

 

“That would be for Your Highness to investigate, would it not?” He answered simply. Jinyoung returned the calm smile and folded the sheet of paper into his sleeve.

 

“You are right.” He agreed, “Then, I will take my leave.” The man bowed as Jinyoung turned to go. Then, as Jinyoung reached the door, he felt his footsteps suddenly begin to waver. His vision started to blur, and all of a sudden, his body felt incredibly heavy.

 

What…

 

“I apologize, Your Highness.” The shipowner’s voice seemed to be coming from very far away, although Jinyoung was certain he was only a few feet behind him.

 

“It appears that you have already caught onto far too much.” The shipowner continued, “And so, I couldn’t let you out of this ship so soon. Besides, I have orders to follow.” Jinyoung turned slowly, his body feeling like it was weighed down by a thousand large boulders. His gaze moved slowly over to the table, and suddenly, he realized what had happened.

 

That tea was drugged!

 

After one more step, Jinyoung’s body keeled over on its own accord, his head slamming against the wooden flooring. He saw the man approach him and kneel next to him.

 

“Please do not blame me, Your Highness. I am merely following orders.” The shipowner said. Two burly hands reached down to pick up Jinyoung like a sack of flour, and then, just before darkness took over his consciousness, Jinyoung saw an elaborate black ink tattoo spiraling around the man’s arm. 

 

That tattoo again...