Princess Jihyo watched as the flowers’ colors dulled away. Spring has truly come and gone, and the kingdom was entering the early days of summer. It had been quite a while since it last rained, and the harvest many of the village folk were looking forward to was quickly becoming a dream. The waterbeds along the river were now more visible, and the streams connecting the water sources to the fields were quickly drying up. It was taking every ounce of effort of the farmers to manually carry water to their fields, and even then, with no replenishment from the rain, there was less and less water to go by.

She walked towards the King’s hall, taking her place in front of Queen Sunbin, before they, together with King Kwangsoo, proceeded to take their seats on their respective thrones. It was once again time for the King’s court to meet to plan for the impending drought and discuss the annexation of Gaya.

The response for the drought was fairly simple. Minister Kang proposed that the palace redistribute resources to help the indigent families in the kingdom. They also wanted the Ministry of Agriculture to lead the charge in aiding the farmers with their water collection. Princess Jihyo suggested that the Ministry of Defense should assign some soldiers to support the transfer of water supplies. It was a proposal that was welcomed by Minister Ji, who turned towards General Janghoon and Commander Jongkook for the implementation.

The commander was surprised that Princess Jihyo was an active participant in court. He spared a glance at the princess, only to find her looking at him with a surprised look on her face. She likely didn’t expect that members of the military would be called into this meeting. But, being a Hwarang, the commander was quite an important figure among the ranks, and his knowledge in political and military strategy was well-appreciated by the General. He considered Commander Jongkook’s opinions regarding the annexation of Gaya important. Her face eventually morphed into one of suspicion, wondering what the commander was doing in this meeting of the Court.

The points of action to be taken for the drought was quickly agreed upon by the ministers. Despite their usual disagreements, Ministers Yoo and Kang were immensely loyal to the kingdom, and found it easy to come into a consensus when the matter was urgent. Eventually, the discussion went back to the annexation of Gaya.

Minister Yoo presented all the costs required to go into conquest of Gaya, and also talked about how the annexation would be logistically and tactically difficult. Gaya was composed of multiple tribes, each with their own military styles and leaders, making them a difficult challenge for the soldiers of Silla. Finally, to persuade the King, he said, “At the end of it all, Your Majesty, what we must remember is that the cost of conquest cannot just be measured in gold or resources. At its heart, what we will definitely sacrifice would be the lives of our countrymen. If we are to bring them to the risk of death, we must make sure that we have absolutely no choice.”

Minister Kang intercepted the Sangdaedeung, “It is not without good cause, your Majesty. We have an impending drought, and while we have agreed on the steps necessary to bridge our people through, we do not know when this drought will end and whether our kingdom will be able to sustain through it. I know it is a sacrifice, but the opportunities Gaya holds for us is quickly becoming a necessity instead of a luxury. Even if our men die in battle, they will know it was for a worthy cause.”

“Can you say the same thing to the families they will be leaving behind? The children who will never see their fathers again, and the wives who will never get to embrace their husbands again?” Princess Jihyo cried passionately, unable to control the pent-up anger in her heart.

“Well, your royal highness...” Minister Kang tried to answer but the princess cut him.

“It is easy for us to discuss here, safe in the confines of the palace, how we can gamble the lives of our soldiers. But when they die, we will only know their numbers. We will not be there to witne