12 The man who would be king

KouRyu PoV

Kanyou was bustling like always. The welcome we got from the people was incredible to say the least. This was a great achievement and under the circumstances, something like a miracle.

From this day, a saying started among the people of Kanyou," Generals may win battles, But the Heavenly Dragon General can achieve the impossible." Sounds a bit much but this was the way of peoples thinking in this era.

I of course embraced the adoration with smile and waving at them. The walk to the palace took longer as people crowded to see and cheer for us.

We were cordially invited into the Royal Court where the civil servants greeted us with a bow.

The King applauded our arrival and Ryofui came forward and stood in front of me with a smile as he spoke," it seems we have found another great general, one despite his age can be compared to the likes of Bai Qi, Ou Ki or Kyou. You have certainly made your ancestors proud my boy. I shall send a nice gift personally as a reward. I pray that your may achieve more victories for Qin."

I smiled and replied," Thank you for your generousity. I shall strive to do so."

I walked in front of the King and bowed deeply and he actually came down from the throne and pulled me up with a jovial laugh as he spoke, "Congratulations My 'Heavenly Dragon General' for your great victory over Chu.

Today, we gather here to Honor your achievements and the soldiers who made it possible. I hereby grant you this Title from me personally, 'The one who is Exalted by the Heavens like none other'.

Your soldiers will receive 10 gold and the ones that have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this victory, their families will recive 10 gold each year for 3 years."

I smiled and replied," Thank you, your highness for bestowing such honor upon me and my soldiers. I shall do my best to live upto it."

The king patted my shoulder and spoke, "I have arranged a personal banquet for you and Generals tonight. There, we can talk more freely."

I nodded as you can't really decline a invitation from the King in front of the court. He just smiled and gestured the officials to bring out the rewards and proceed with the ceremony.

The official declared," General KouRyu shall receive a Supreme grade reward of exemplary achievement, His current territory will be expanded to Wudu, 30 treasures, along with the permission to maintain an army of 100,000 or more if required to defend the territories .

Furthermore, He shall also be granted the title of 'Marquis of Changan'. All the soldiers who fought under him will receive in increase in their nobility class.

Last but not the least, His vice generals who faithfully accompanied him till now shall be Generals as well with a first class reward for exemplary services."

Everyone clapped and cheered as the rewards were handed out and we thanked them before leaving towards the arranged mansion for us.

Zhang Liao went to check out the city while me and Zhao Yun distributed some compensations for the soldiers who were wounded badly. After that, we went to rest as we needed to be in the banquet tonight.

In the evening, we got dressed in some luxurious robes and went towards the palace. There were only a few servants present and everything was decorated for a private gathering. There was only Me, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao present there.

The king arrived after a while along with the crown prince who was dressed in a simple but elegant clothing. This must be Ei Sei himself, the future emperor of China. He wasn't that impressive now but his eyes were very alive.

We greeted them and sat down as the maids served the food. We didn't talk much during eating, only after the wine was served and the servants were sent away, Our conversation finally began.

The king spoke with a smile," My son insisted to be here to meet you. He has heard so many tales about you."

Ei Sei came forward and politely bowed as he spoke," It is a pleasure to meet you great general KouRyu. I am the crown prince Ei Sei." He then turned to my side and said," I have also heard about you general Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun. Your reputation as General KouRyu's right and left hand man precedes you."

We bowed to return the courtesy as I replied," It's our pleasure to meet you my prince. I heard about your rescue from Kantan this year and I'm glad to see you amidst us unharmed."

There was a brief shadow that covered his before he quickly recovered and replied," Thank you for your concerns. I have been following Your campaign after hearing stories about you. I must say, the stories are quite true about your capability to win any battle from the brink of defeat."

I replied with a strained smile, " Nobody can win a battle that is already lost. I merely found the weak points in opponents strategy and exploited that flaw. As long as there's a battle, both sides have the chance to win it. Only the one who wants it more actually wins."

The king laughed and spoke," You are too modest KouRyu. You are definitely on par with General Bai Qi. As long as you are here, no nation will dare to invade us. Which is one of the reasons as I called you here tonight. I wish to know about your opinion about the current state of China and Qin's future."

I finished the wine in my cup and pondered for a while before speaking," The next era will be the bloodiest of the warring states era as the strength gap between Kingdoms increase. Qi has become weaker while Zhao, Chu and Wei gained strength and insights, Zhao specifically.

After the defeat of Choyou, They have recruited some very capable generals and they are currently building up strength to attack us. They will probably send a strong army under one of the Three great Heavens to take as much as they can within next few years .

The Northern Qin is currently the most vulnerable as The Xiongnu have focused mostly on Qin. Anding can fall anytime and after that, Changan will be our only defense. Zhao will capitalize on this to take everything north and then they will be comparable to Qin.

Chu will probably wait and watch as they have lost a lot of force. Wei will not attack Qin at the moment but they will try to snatch some territories from other states. They can be dealt with unless the other states don't interfere. "

The King spoke with a bit of worry," What should we do under such circumstances?"

I shrugged and replied," War is a living thing, you can't say for sure how things will proceed. I believe we need to improve our infrastructure and defense well along with training new recruits.

We need to provide the peasants with basic self defense skills as most of them die in the war meaninglessly. We need to repair the northern defenses as well. I have repaired and improved Changan and Hanzhong. But Wudu needs more funds. I would advice to sign an agreement with the mountain tribes secretly so our relations can improve further.

Also get some envoys to the newly conquered regions to maintain good communication. We need to act as one, otherwise we will lose like Chu. "

This time, it was Ei Sei who asked," aren't mountain folks pretty dangerous and strong who doesn't negotiate with Qin for hundreds of years? I heard they prefer to live in seclusion."

I replied looking at Ei Sei, " Human beings crave company, they wish to live among others. Only when they realize they aren't welcomed or accepted by the world that they choose to go to seclusion.

Mountain folks had hopes of living together with us when Duke Mu proposed the alliance long time ago. But peoples hatred made them return back to the mountains.

We all have the same blood flowing through us, despite being from different countries or places. So do you believe we should exclude them while building a strong nation?"

The king also looked with interest as he wanted to hear his answer.

Ei Sei thought for a while and replied, " what if they don't wish to be a part of Qin? "

I just shook my head and spoke," How can you assume they don't want it? Did you ever ask them? If they really hated us and wished to revolt, they would have joined with the Xiongnu and attacked us.

They also defend the north my prince, alongside my soldiers. In my territory, everybody is seen as equal and given the same chance. Tell me young prince, what is your dream ? "

Ei Sei was flustered and he replied quietly," To abolish the borders and unite the lands."

I nodded and drank my wine. Nobody spoke for a while. Ei Sei asked," Do you believe it's possible to unite these lands."

I gulped down the wine as I replied," I know it's possible, but the question is, which method do you wish to use? If you choose the wrong way, all that you worked hard for will be ruined."

Ei Sei was curious as he asked," Why? won't people be happy if there was no war? "

The King sighed and replied instead," Would you be happy if someone took away your country, killed your people and then said they did it to prevent the wars? You are waging wars to stop wars. That will not establish a long reign."

I looked at the king with a new light as I spoke, "Your Highness tells the truth. Although I might be a hero to Qin, but to Chu people, I'm a villain. That is the way of the world. That's the reason we have been fighting for so long. That is why the dream of Unification never became a reality."

Ei Sei was stumped and he couldn't answer. I did something that could be considered a crime at that era as I stretched my hand forward and patted his head as he looked at me curiously.

I spoke calmly, " You can Think about it later. You still have some time left till you become king. If you can't find it by yourself, ask others, seek for help. No king should bear all the burden by himself.

Somehow, I believe you can truly achieve your goals someday if you don't lose your way. Just remember, all the soldiers and Generals, even civilians aren't just numbers.

Each of them has a life, a family, a story to tell. Value their sacrifice, understand their pain and strive towards a future where they can coexist with others."

Ei Sei had a new light in his eyes as he nodded with a smile.

The King gently spoke," It's time to go to sleep my son. Why don't you go to sleep as we finish our talk?"

Ei Sei nodded and bowed before leaving. The King sighed as he saw him leaving and he spoke," Do you truly believe that General? Can he do it?"

I replied calmly," He has experienced a lot for his age. Hatred and Kindness are not too far off. As long as he does not let his hatred blind him and shows his kindness to the people of the conquered lands, he will be the Greatest king that China has yet seen. I truly want to see such a world where there is no war."

King Zhangxuang spoke," I have heard from Ryofui that you don't wish to be in the army forever as you don't love wars. Despite that, you are possibly the greatest talent Qin has ever seen.

You are kind to your people and have just heart. If you aided him, my son could perhaps do it. That's why, I would like to make a request of you, General KouRyu."

I sat up straight looked seriously at him as he continued," I was never meant to be a king. I hoped I could just leave a peaceful life with my family. Ryofui helped me become the king and after my death, he would probably be even more powerful.

His greed won't stop, so I need someone to help Sei achieve his dreams. I abandoned him and his mother in Zhao, that would be my greatest regret. This is my way of making it up to him. Help my son unite these lands.

I don't have such ambitions which you may know, but my son could perhaps reach it. This would be a great burden upon you and I apologize for that. I hope you can keep this heartfelt request of mine"

I was quite surprised hearing this. This is totally different from the actual king Zhangxuang who didn't care much about his family. This guy is actually quite amicable. He was telling the truth too, his sincere words caught me off guard.

So I decided to give him the truth," Your Highness, Even if I supported him, he won't go far only relying on me. He needs to become stronger, overcoming obstacles with his own strength to reach his goal.

I think the only way to bring out his best potentials is to do two things. I need to be proclaimed dead to all the state, so he won't just come running to me as soon as there's an obstacle he can't overcome easily.

Two, Qin needs to stop fighting small scale battles and focus on raising a large number of trained troops at least over 500,000 in total . All of them must be well trained and equipped and needs to be experienced.

This needs about 10 years or so and such an army can't be hidden. We can do this by taking all the territories upto Shuofang. We can hide those troops in Wuwei and Jincheng to unleash a surprise for Zhao.

This army shall be separate from the Qin army. We must also establish better diplomatic relationships with the other states and make sure to recruit worthy generals who would never commit another Choyou."

The King was shocked to hear this and asked," Why do you need to be proclaimed dead then?"

I sighed and replied," because If I'm alive and fighting, other states will be on guard and mobilize more troops than usual. They can't prepare for a dead man.

My death will make them let down their guard and Qin can enjoy a brief chance to grow. Even if we don't claim that I'm dead, we need to spread the word that I have been poisoned or sick thus unable to fight and on deaths door. We must post more soldiers at our borders so that they can't take any advantages for this.

As long as I live, these states will be becoming stronger to defend against me. Having a strong enemy breeds stronger adversaries. so I need to move from the centre stage and let others take the spot light while I build that army in seclusion.

I already have news that both Chu and Zhao will be sending assasin's to get my head. We can take advantage of that and pretend I died in their hands. My generals will take the entire north in the meantime and we will be ready after 10 years to return. "

The king thought for a while and replied," Are you certain of this? Can you do it? "

I sipped my wine and replied," It is possible to achieve. But I won't do anything if your majesty forbids it."

The king stood up and so did we as we all knew the next words uttered by him shall bring a new era.

He took a deep breath and said," So be it. I shall send you my sealed order before you leave. Once you decide to begin the plan, we shall act on it.

Rather than dead, I would spread news that you have been injured by assasin's poison and unfit for war. We can even give up some small castles like hongnong to the enemy to fool them if necessary.

I hereby appoint Great General KouRyu as the leader of the 6 greats of Qin next generation and entrust both my son and Qin to your strong hands. Although we don't possess the bond that my father and the previous greats had, I have decided to put my faith upon you. Make me proud."

Three of us kneeled immediately as I replied," I have received your majesty's decree and shall act upon it. Until the time comes, I shall take my leave and raise an army to conquer the 6 states under your son, the next king of Qin. I shall watch over him and make sure he doesn't stray from his path."

We both stood face to face and clasped hands as I thought," If only he wished to unite these lands, I might have agreed to help him."

Similarly the King himself thought," If only I was younger and had the dreams my son possess, I might have achieved them standing beside this man." We both smiled and left without any further words as we both steeled ourselves for the challenges to come.

Wudu, Mountain tribes region

Yotanwa PoV

Our lives have always been tough. When I became the tribe leader at 16 years old, I had a dream. To unite all the tribes as one and build a future where we will live peacefully alongside Qin people.

It was only fantasy and a childish dream until one day I received a letter from the nearby Qin region from a man called KouRyu. I never thought that a single letter would change my life.

I smiled with fondness as I caressed the swords he gifted me. He was the only one who told me my dreams can be true and he will support me to achieve them.

When he took our people to his city to live, everybody disapproved and said they would be shunned or worse, killed by Qin. I stood tall against such words and waited to see.

When I visited the Shangjun city, I was astonished by the beautiful fortress. People were living happily under his rule and they seemed to care for him a lot. My ultimate surprise was seeing our people who were living here.

They seemed to be a part of the population as they talked and worked together alongside the Qin people. The children were playing happily without any care and nobody looked at us weirdly for different outfit and looks.

This was what I wished for, and this man seems to have granted my wish. I looked at him with a smile as he made some paper flowers with the kids. For some reason, I wanted this moment to last, I wished to stand beside this man and see what more he can achieve. Even the old geezers were supporting him after seeing this.

After touring the city we went to his mansion and had a banquet. We kept talking as the night went on and somehow we found ourselves at his bed. A small part of me was telling me to take it slow which I ignored as we engaged in a blissful lovemaking.

I wanted to make him mine, and I knew with his charisma and talent, a lot of women would be vying for him. So I decided to make the first move and he reciprocated it. We both gave each other a matching necklace of Tigers tooth which according to our tribe is a token of marriage.

It seems he understood as well as he teased me to come live in my husbands house rather than in the mountains. For the first time in my life, I could be just another woman being showered with affection from her lover.

He gave me some designs to create better homes in the mountains as well as some tools for mining which would help us a lot. He also gave me some luxurious ornaments despite my protests saying They will be with me to remind me about him.

Like I would ever forget the only man I gave my heart . I wish I could just be with him but I have my responsibilities as well. I need to take care of all the mountain tribes and unite them as a single force capable of reaching heights never seen before.

But soon, we will be together. Then I will hear about his grand adventures and hold him in my arms as I fall asleep. When we were leaving, he came along for a bit to escort me and kissed me goodbye in front of everyone before he left.

My tribesmen were shocked as I returned his kiss with a smile. The geezers were nodding with a knowing smile which was surprising but good. He also told me to keep our relationship a secret for now as people might try to harm me if they found his weakness.

I was worried about assasin's trying to kill him but he assured he got it under control . He made me more determined to fight for my dreams as he showed, dreams can indeed come true.

Until then, I will work hard so that I could be a proper leader for my tribes and stand beside him as his woman rather than just chasing his shadow. I shall make this dream come true at any cost.

Next Chapter

The thin thread that holds the balance