[3rd POV]
(Three weeks ago)
In the southernmost city of the Kingdom Nanzhao, an important meeting unlike anything that had ever happened before, was taking place.
The building was the castle of the city but the weird thing about it was that everything was quiet which meant that there were not many people in that castle even though it was massive.
There were no servants, there were no soldiers and there were no residents. In the main room of the castle, seven people were occupied with each other and they were also the only people in the whole castle.
There was a palpable tension in the air. The presence of these individuals was so massive that it took over the whole castle, making the empty rooms have the weight of being occupied.
There was silence but their presence was so heavy that anyone would be able to tell that someone was in the castle.
"So, is anyone going to say something or are we going to continue observing each other and wait for the other to attack?" said a tiger who had a robust physique but his scholar clothes would tell you that he was not a warrior. He was just blessed with a great body and supernatural strength since birth.
He was the King of the South Kingdom Dali.
"I think it's for the bird to decide, he was the one who called this meeting. I was going to reject it at first but he promised in the name of his kingdom that it was going to be worth our while." said a crocodile wearing a luxurious golden robe. His scales also have rubies and golden webs between them to show his wealth,
He was the King of the Central Kingdom Tang.
"Could you please get to the point quickly? I have my harem to attend to." The tiger, the King of Dali said with a tired yawn that seemed to show his carefree attitude which was exactly opposite to how he actually felt.
"I am glad you can all make it." the golden pheasant, the King of Nanzhao said.
This was the other plan that he had besides giving orders to Mighty Eagle. He was about to do something drastic to make sure that Lord Shen and Tai Lung were forever gone from this world.
That was how much of a threat they posed to the world, at least in his eyes.
Getting the two kings in one room was no easy feat, however he was somehow able to do it. An event like this where more than two kings had a meeting was 20 years ago so it was not a common occurrence at all.
Though the kings were accompanied by their general and their strongest warrior. The bird King of Nanzhao eyed the two warriors who stood behind their respective kings.
They were strong.
But he was not outdone by them as behind him was Master Eagle, also known as Mighty Eagle. He was simply standing there but his whole presence seemed to loom over them as the two warriors the kings brought seemed to be on edge.
So when he spoke, the king of Nanzhao did so with confidence.
"I want to form an alliance."
...
...
...
Silence.
,,,
,,,
,,,
Then laughter.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!!"
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!!"
The Tiger and the Crocodile, the King of Dali and the King of Tang started laughing hysterically as the sound echoed through the empty castle.
The laughter was not fake or overdone either, it was genuine.
"Oh god, please don't tell me that's why you called us both here." the tiger said between laughter, "This is too goddamn funny."
"Do you take us for fools oh great golden pheasant? hahaha. I came here, wondering what the falling king wanted at his deathbed but this is just ridiculous." the crocodile said, wiping his tears.
The falling king.
The kings of Dali and Tang were no fools, they knew that Lord Shen and Tai Lung were coming after Nanzhao next after they conquered Shu.
There were ten powers in China before which were the Ten Kingdoms. Now, things have changed slightly with Shu being taken over by Shen. Although Shu lost many of its soldiers, Shen's weapon made it so that it was still a proper power.
And then there was the new 11th power of China, Tai Lung the walking Kingdom. So if you think about it, its two great powers versus one. Therefore the kingdom of Nanzhao has a very low chance of defending itself against Lord Shen and Tai Lung.
That was why he was called a falling king.
Now, he wants the three of them to form an alliance so that they can fight against Shen and Tai Lung? No chance.
If they did decided to form an alliance, it would be three great powers versus two and they have the advantage, but it won't be an easy war to win either. They will lose all of their resources.
Or....
The King of Dali and the King of Tang can wait until the end of the war between Lord Shen and Tai Lung with the Kingdom of Nanzhao.
Then in the aftermath, when the winner is at its weakest they will strike. With enough preparation, Nanzhao will be able to put up a decent fight, unlike the Shu who was caught off guard so Tai Lung and Shen will suffer many losses even if they win.
That will be a great time to swoop in and reap all of the advantages with the least amount of lost.
So why?
Why in the heaven and earth would they want to ally with the kingdom of Nanzhao when not allying with them will give more reward with minimum lost?
"No." x2
The King of Dali and Tang said in unison as they rejected the proposal for an alliance. Not only was it not beneficial to them, an alliance between kingdoms had not happened in a thousand years. There was nearly one 20 years ago but that was stopped by Tai Lung before a great war starts.
The answer is and has always been obvious.
No.
"Oh well, too bad then." The king of Nanzhao, a golden pheasant said. "I would have preferred forming an alliance with you two instead of surrendering to Shen and Tai Lung."
"Such a sad thing." the bird said with a sigh, but there was a smile on his face.
"What?" the king of Dali said out loud, proving himself to be the worst king at hiding his true emotions between them.
So he was planning to surrender to the enemy without even fighting them? That changes everything.
Now if there was no fight between them, how would they take advantage of the aftermath and strike when Shen and Tai Lung are weak?
Forget about them being weak, it would make them much stronger with the army of Shu and Nanzhao under their banner.
If that happens, Tai Lung and Shen would continue expanding their power immediately and who were they coming next?
It was them.
The Kingdom of Dali and the Kingdom of Tang will be their next victim as the kingdom closest to them. That realization sent a chill down the kings' spine.
The king of Nanazhao basically said, 'Double it and give it to the next person.'
"Have you no honour?" the king of Dali, tiger asked.
In his eyes, surrendering to an enemy even without fighting back was the most cowardly thing a king or warrior could do. Even if you were weaker, die trying and go out in glory.
So the kingdom of Nanzhao surrendering was not even a possibility he considered.
"My honour lies in ensuring the future of my kingdom." The bird said, "I also heard that Shen is actually appointing the previous rulers to continue ruling the kingdom. The only difference will be that they will be under the authority of Shen and Tai Lung."
"It might even mean getting into their good side, so I do not mind giving up like a coward. If it saves the lives of my people, so be it. I am not sending my soldiers to die in a battlefield that promised no victory."
The room went quiet as they listened to his words. Although his action was not traditional, they had respect for his beliefs and motives.
"So, what's it going to be?" the King of Nanzhao asked again.
'If I don't win, I will make sure both of you don't either.'
'If I lose, I will drag you both with me.'
That was basically what the situation was. Both of the kings know that if Nanzhao actually surrenders without a fight, there will be three powers against them. Army of Nanzhao, Tai Lung and Lord Shen with his army and weapons.
They won't win, that's for sure.
"Cunning bastard." the crocodile said with a shake of his head.
"Let's talk about how we are going to divide the spoils and the lands first." he continued with an annoyed smile.
That was all but a confirmation that they would likely accept the proposal. In the end, they were able to settle on the rewards in a way that all of them were satisfied.
The Kingdom of Nanzhao will get the entirety of the land of Shu. But in return, she would give some of her territory to the Kingdom of Dali. The lands which the Dali were always envious of would be theirs.
And Tang will get Gongmen City. The land was not massive but the economy was something that would be arguably more beneficial.
"I accept the Alliance."
"I accept the Alliance."
..
..
After a thousand years, three of the ten kingdoms have united against a common enemy. There was no doubt in their mind that they would win with this.
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"Tai Lung is the main problem here as he alone has strength that could rival a Kingdom. We take him out and then the rest would be much easier." said the bird, king of Nanzhao.
"Any plans?" Crocodile said. King of Tang
"We will march towards Gongmen City and try to capture it. Most of Lord Shen's forces are in Shu right now so the army will not be able to come in time to defend it. In this case, Tai Lung will be forced to protect the city." said the bird.
"We will send a huge portion of our forces to Gongmen city along with our most powerful warrior; Mighty Eagle, Master Warturtle and Master Tiger. Then we make sure to take out Tai Lung for good. A walking Kingdom cannot be allowed to exist."
"You mean we march towards a city full of civilians and that too without notifying the rulers so that they could deploy forces to defend it? That would be a war crime and a breach in the Codes of War." said Tiger, the king of Dali.
"Oogway is dead so small breach like this could be overlooked. Its not a huge war crime like poisoning the enemy's food source either so we should be fine. And are you sure you want to let Tai Lung grow until he becomes like Oogway? If we don't kill him not that's what he will become. " the bird said.
"Right. There will be no one to complain after we are done either." said the crocodile.
..
..
The meeting went on for a few days until the plans were finalized.
"it has been decided!!"
.,.
And then the three kingdoms made thier move.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : Foreshadowing from chapter 47 has come true.
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