Sacrifice for the heir!
Princess Ming also added that she and Xiuying did not hate Elizabeth for what she did. Indeed, reality was hard to accept, but it was what it was. Had their father died with resentment and hatred, perhaps they would have held a grudge, but he did not. Consequently, the two sisters decided not to either. It would have undermined all the effort they went through to rebuild their mother's legacy!
Finally, Princess Ming wrote that due to certain circumstances, they would not see Elizabeth in person. Considering the allegations swirling around the Imperial Princesses right now, it was better this way. If they were caught being too friendly, then it would invite another mountain of misunderstandings. Hence, a letter was the most the princesses could do and even that was stretching the limit. The next time they see each other might be in the far future when the dust settled. When and where that might be was unknown. Who knows? Perhaps their next meeting would be between empress and queen!
Until the next time we meet, Elizabeth. Sincerely, Ming and Xiuying, the letter ended.
Elizabeth paused as she felt a touch of melancholy. Although their upbringings were different, they shared striking similarities. Empathy was a powerful emotion, capable of bridging across worlds to connect people together. Elizabeth felt she could understand the two princesses in their desperate struggle against the world. After all, she was the same. The world was unfair. The world was cruel. But that did not mean you had to lose yourself. Indeed, Xiuying and Ming maintained their sense of honor and justice. Elizabeth secretly admired their strong willpower! It was worthy of praise.
She was silent before relaying everything to the three in front of her. Sir Winstin's expression was quite ugly. The Imperial Council was moving against them! Despite expecting as much, he hoped it would not come to this. They were like meat on the chopping block. Sir Winstin sighed and glanced at the two generals. Despite a small flicker of emotion, their faces were quite tranquil. To be honest, they had prepared long ago for this. How could they not? General Illion was already a shrewd man. His position of Third-In-Command was not undeserved. One would also overlook General Gordon, thinking he was a brute with no brains, but the truth could not be further. Otherwise, he would not have been responsible for securing the southern provinces from General Fuwu's invasion all those months ago! Now was the time to set their plans into motion.
At the crack of dawn, the air was frigid. It was around early December. Winter had thoroughly settled and painted a pure white landscape. Although there had yet to be a big snowstorm, the daily snowfall accumulated to such a state. There was scarcely anything in sight to contrast it. It fully displayed the mighty power of nature! All the soldiers were huddled around bonfires and wore thick clothes. Their breath was easily visible as the cold wind stung their faces.
That morning, the two Xingyuu Empire division generals received orders from the Imperial Council to detain Elizabeth! They smiled. For such a job to land in their laps, they were grinning from ear to ear. The glory of having captured the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom would be truly unparalleled. The people would sing praise of their heroic exploits! The Alzar army was already like a caged insect, completely at the mercy of these division generals. Before, they could not act against the Imperial Princesses' wishes. They could only fume inwardly. But now, with direct permission from the council, they could finally act!
The two men stared at one another, thinking the same thing. A rival! Naturally, if both division generals accomplished their mission, then the rewards would be split. It would be less fruitful. They started to scheme when people started shouting outside. The shouting soon escalated to full blown clashes as sounds of fighting was heard. The two generals had an ominous feeling and rushed out to see pandemonium. The Alzar army took the initiative to attack first! It took the soldiers completely by surprise. For people on the verge of death, to burst out with such monstrous morale and strength, who would not be shocked? For the first minute, the Xingyuu army was on the defensive.
At the same time, using the cover of twilight and chaos, dozens of mounted soldiers left the encampment at high speeds towards the docked Alzar fleet. Their numbers were around two hundred! Among them was obviously Elizabeth, her friends, Sir Winstin, the two generals, and the Ten Dawns. Elizabeth was riding on horseback with Sir Winstin where she glanced at the battle unfolding behind her. A myriad of complex emotions swelled in her.
To be honest, their plan was quite simple. It focused on surprise and… sacrifice. After that climatic battle, the four thousand Alzar army was reduced to a mere thousand. Although they might have survived, everyone suffered injuries. It sufficed to say that out of a thousand soldiers, less than a quarter of them were battle-ready! Normally, without external factors, against a combined Xingyuu force of ten thousand, it was impossible to contest, no matter what someone tried. That was the power of overwhelming force! Against absolute power, all manner of trickery was futile!
As a result, that two-week interlude was crucial to recovering strength! Regardless, there was a limit to supplies, manpower, and time. Not everyone could recover as fast as Sir Winstin or Elizabeth. Many maintained their injuries even now. The generals could not focus their efforts on these people. If this was an ideal world, then maybe. But reality was cruel. If everyone received equal treatment, then no one would recover in time. It was far more efficient to prioritize a small group of soldiers, bringing them back up to full strength, than bringing everyone up a bit. That was basic logic. For those unlucky, they were left to die!
For the two generals, this was a call they had to make. They were not cruel. This was the only way to gain a fighting chance and the soldiers understood this too. They joined the military knowing that their lives may end here. To give up their lives to help the heir apparent, was that not a great service? Their meritorious act would definitely not be forgotten! Thinking up to this point, Gordon and Illion spent the last few weeks, assessing their soldiers, deciding who should survive and who should die. Unconscious or gravely wounded soldiers were mercifully silenced. Limbs were amputated where necessary and medical supplies were used conservatively.
Needless to say, people died at a horrific rate. Out of the thousand survivors, three hundred succumbed to their injuries and another two hundred were silenced. After all, being captured by the empire was a fate worse than death. If these people had the option, they would rather die in merciful hands than die from torture and agony. Then, another three hundred were also too weak to contribute significantly. They were the cripples or amputees. Not only were they a burden, there was also no guarantee they would survive the trip to the kingdom. In that case, why bother? These three hundred would merely lower their chances of success. General Illion and Gordon planned for them to be the sacrifices and hold the empire back! Finally, the remaining two hundred would escape to the Alzar fleet and depart! That was their plan!