27 The Fall of Yuan City

ONE WEEK EARLIER

Standing on the top of the Yuan City Walls, his hands clasped behind his back, a young men looked over the vast, bare land that stretched for miles and miles, his dark, intelligent eyes carrying a cunning, intelligent glint.

Near the horizon, he could still see the darkened patch that marked the Rebel's encampment, its high, whitish tents almost glinting under the merciless morning sun. It was a much bigger threat now than he had considered when accepting his father's edict to lead the Imperial Troops there.

He could still remember how it had all begun. Just a few unsatisfied voices, random attacks to a few officials households... None of them had though much of it then. In any dynasty, it was bound to exist conflict.

Considering the high cost of living on the Zao Empire and the atrocities the Mu tribes had endured after the War was over, he thought it had even taken to long for the unrest to begin.

There were some things that history books didn't tell. Things that only those who remembered, and those who carried those words would know. No one wrote about how every woman and children, from nobles to the royal family, had been sold to brothels on the spoils of war. How entire troops had kept watching and laughing as their officials were made to watch their woman being passed between the soldiers like animals.

It wasn't something one should be proud of. It was just how things worked. A war made savages of the best of man, and those men were needed on the front. If the price of the battle was a few unknown lives, no one would blame them for being cruel.

As time passed, however, the guards on the walls started to wake up dead, important bureaus were burnt on the dead of night, important slave traders where viciously murdered and exposed on the public square.

When he had been sent to the Borders for the first time, word had already travelled that the Mu's were rebelling. That they were fighting back to establish the Mu's Rightful Heir.

The rebels already had better numbers, from the poor, the famished, to those who were unsatisfied with the current emperor.

He still remember his last day on the capital city, the image as clear as if he was looking at a reflection shining on the surface of a river.

"I'm leaving for the borders in two days".

It was not the first time he had sneaked into their household to see her. That night, however, coronated by the high, full moon and light blue clothes against the dark night sky, she looked specially cold.

"If that is so, I can only wish Your Highness that in battle your horses are fast and your aim is true".

The girl had turned to him, her face cold, her eyes bright.

"What Love? What Heart? He Geng Xin, I'm only fifteen, what could I understand of this things?"

The Crown Prince blinked, his mind coming back to the blazing morning sun, the light breeze swaying their flags still held atop the walls, the war drums positioned strategically on both edges of the edifice...

Inside the city, he could barely hear the talk and noise of the people that still lived there. When the Emperor assigned him the protection of that city, his first priority had been trying to control the situation and keep the gates intact.

As time passed and things started looking worse, he begun evacuating the foreigner merchants and nobles still on Yuan City territory. It had been difficult, with the last of the Officials being transferred away that same morning.

"General" his aide called behind him, his foot nocking on the stone floor in sign of respect "A secret messenger is here. Says he brings news from General He."

Without a single word, He Geng Xin have an almost imperceptible nod, his lips pressing in disdain as he motioned for the man to be brought up to him.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince" the messenger greeted him, whose gaze was still fixed on the outside of the walls "General He sent me to report that the unrest on Hong City has been pacified. The rebels have been sent away."

"Hum" Geng Xin acknowledged.

"General was worried with the situation on Yuan City... He suspects those that survived will probably retreat here by the next two days."

"It is indeed possible" he agreed "did he offer to send me help too, I supposed?"

The messenger stiffened, his legs fidgeting at the annoyed tone to the Prince's voice. Unable to think about anything else to say, he only mumbled.

"Indeed he did... Y-Your Highness."

"I see" he said, his words slow, his eyes closing slight as if he was deep in thought "You can pass my words then".

"Your Highness" the man fell to his knees, head bowed in sign of respect.

"Tell my brother the Zao Empire is fortunate to have a General as capable as him. I, He Geng Xin, will as well accept his help."

The messenger was speechless. It wasn't secret that the relationship between the brothers wasn't good. Still, to listen to the Crown Prince's sweet words... a cold shiver ran down his spine, bringing with it an ominous feeling.

When the man had already left the city, his figure getting farther away over a brownish horse, He Geng Xin turned to his aide, a slight, cold smile on his face.

"It seems that my brother needs our help on Hong City... We should head there immediately."

His aide blinked, completely stunned by his master's words. Was... What was master even thinking? Wasn't that wishing for death by treason, Hum?

"But Y-Your Highness" he stammered, looking at the blank faces of the few guards near them "The Rebels..."

"They have been quite for a while now. You can see most have retreat from the farthest sides... Only a few still stay".

The aide looked at his master again. Wasn't that making noise on the east to attack on the west? Didn't the Crown Prince himself comment about the Mu's tactics that same day, when they were listening to the morning reports? What was Geng Xin thinking?

"Just leave some trusted guards to take care of the walls and watch over the remaining citizens" he continued eventually, his eyes never leaving the retreating messengers figure "I can't just leave my good brother to fend off the enemy army outnumbered, can I?"

"Master..." the aide mumbled, his gaze also falling on the lone man riding a tall, brown horse "the news..."

"Oh?" He Geng Xin smiled again, his eyes shining cold as he extended a hand to his bow, bringing an arrow from his back at arranging it against the tight string "unfortunately... it seams the rebels have reached him first" adjusting his aim, he left out a breath. "He never made it to Yuan City".

And let go of the arrow.

Before the body fell to the sandy floor, two guards dressed in black rose from the recesses of the City Walls. In a few seconds, the messenger, his horse, and most important, the words he had conveyed, were like they had never existed.

Soon, Yuan City would fall.