Savage Divinity – Chapter 706 Volume 39 : TBA

 

After many arduous months during which she toiled to keep his office afloat, Luo-Luo’s admittedly slim hopes of a joyful reunion with Lord Husband were cruelly dashed before it could even take place.

 

Never in her life did she think news of Lord Husband’s recovery would be so bittersweet, to only hear of his return and good health after the fact as if she were a passing bystander rather than his stand-in Legate and concubine. Oh how it pained her to learn she ranked so low on his mind so as to not even warrant a cursory greeting, nor even a passing mention to anyone he spoke with before departing as quickly as he arrived. Luo-Luo only learned of his return after Lin-Lin and Li-Li barged into her carriage for a ride, both looking adorably chagrined over being left behind against their will alongside all the adorable pets. Granted, Lord Husband hadn’t stopped by to exchange small talk before heading out to the market or off on a leisurely ride, but was instead off leading a veritable army of Peak Experts to support the flagging Central Citadel, one currently under threat of being overrun. Leaving Lin-Lin behind was a given considering the circumstances, and even powerful Li-Li would have only been a burden, but while Luo-Luo agreed with Lord Husband’s decision, saying so would’ve only earned her the ire of the cute, moon-eyed half-hare.

 

Never wise to upset the true leader of the household, who somehow ranked higher than Mila and Yan both despite having yet to actually marry Lord Husband herself. That was the power sweet Lin-Lin possessed, the power to charm anyone and everyone with her bright demeanour and winning smile.

 

That being said, Lin-Lin’s story-telling abilities left much to be desired, summarizing Lord Husband’s month-long journey to the Brotherhood monastery with little more than a few sentences. “Hubby sat around for the first few weeks, then spent a few days asking for Kukky,” Lin-Lin began, speaking before a captive audience of Lord Husband’s friends and family. “Those stinky monks kept refusing, so I snuck hubby out and brought him to find Kukky, which is where the Abbot was recovering. Tai-Tai was there too, so I played with him and Kukky for a few days until hubby got better. Soon as he woke up, the stupid Confessor showed up, but hubby stomped him real good, Healed the Abbot, fell asleep for a few days, and here we are, ya?”

 

Li-Li’s addendum didn’t help, adding that Lord Husband also somehow helped Heal her shattered Core along the way, a cause for much celebration, though everyone involved had no idea how he succeeded where so many others had failed before. Lin-Lin was of the opinion that even Lord Husband didn’t know how he accomplished such a feat, which was simply ludicrous, but further questions would have to wait until they saw him again. Soon after their tale was finished, Luo-Luo bore witness to a momentous event in history from the window of her carriage as off in the distance, Lord Husband unveiled his Runic Cannons and used them to rain death upon the Enemy from afar. Their thunderous roars echoed over the plains of Central, audible even from so many kilometres away, but Luo-Luo knew even the most fanciful soldier present could not even begin to imagine the sheer scale of destruction those Runic Cannons were capable of.

 

Nor was she, as it turned out, which she soon discovered firsthand.

 

Despite standing in as Legate during Lord Husband’s absence, Luo-Luo was rarely directly involved in decisions regarding the defence of the outer provinces, not after the self-proclaimed Commander General Shuai Jiao relieved her of most of her responsibilities. As such, without Father-in-Law, MuYang, or any of the Bekhai military officers to relay information to her, she had no way to glean anything regarding the ongoing battle, so it came as a great relief to see the hordes being driven back from the still-standing Bulwark. There were still hours of bloody fighting ahead as Lord Husband’s forces chased down their fleeing foes, but with victory all but theirs, most of the tension drained from Luo-Luo’s body and she fell asleep nestled next to Lin-Lin and most of the pets. When she naturally woke at dawn’s first light, Luo-Luo glanced out her carriage window to discover they’d just arrived at the Citadel proper. It looked nothing like she last remembered it, a ghastly ruin with the westward walls all toppled and burnt to reveal vast swathes of destruction left in the Enemy’s wake. The deep furrows and ragged craters spoke to the power of Lord Husband’s engines of destruction, but her discerning eye was unable to focus upon anything other than the plethora of corpses strewn haphazardly about in various states of disarray. The monks of the Brotherhood had arrived ahead of the army, with dozens of their robed forms out in full force to help oversee the funeral efforts, but even their deep, soothing chants could not lessen the horrors of what lay before her, scene after scene of complete chaos and carnage fit for a Defiled tribesman’s tableau of atrocities.

 

This was far from her first brush with warfare, but the havoc wrought by Lord Husband’s cannons was unlike anything anyone had ever before seen. Seeing OuYang Yuhuan use her ‘Screaming Dragons’ to shatter wooden blocks mounted on iron frames did little to prepare Luo-Luo for the bloodbath which lay before her. Everywhere she looked lay evidence of death and slaughter, shattered skulls, half-pulped torsos, and bits and bobs aplenty. There were no neat lines of death where Defiled and Chosen died fighting their foes, only anarchy and disarray as corpses lay where they fell whilst fleeing from that which they could not fight. Trails in the dirt told tales of half-dead men and women dragging themselves away in the forlorn hopes of escape, only to leave a battered corpse behind once their strength was wholly spent. As her carriage moved forward, she saw more than one pair of corpses huddled together in complete and utter fright, their last moments spent comforting one another before shuffling off this mortal coil to begin anew.

 

So strange. The Defiled were a horrific and abominable bunch, traitors of humanity turned into the Enemy’s tools, but in death, Luo-Luo only saw men and women whose struggle to survive had finally come to an end. Though she grieved for the brave Warriors and stalwart civilians who lost their lives in this historic clash, she could not help but also lament the deaths of these poor, frightened, primitives who didn’t know any better, and prayed that their souls would escape the Father’s Maw to find redemption in their next life.

 

As her carriage made its way through the ruined streets, Luo-Luo cuddled Mama Bun close and stared out her open window, wishing she could simply close her eyes to the horrors but unable to do so out of good conscience. This deserved to be seen, to be witnessed and remembered, perhaps even immortalized in song or drama. Not just to spread word of this uplifting victory over the Defiled, but to also show the staggering cost in lives on both sides of the engagement and dissuade others from succumbing to the Father’s foul lies. Their greatest weapons against the Enemy was not the sword, spear, crossbow, and cannon, but tales of warning to keep others from taking up arms against the Empire.

 

Or in this case, the Legate Falling Rain himself, the only person in possession of his fearsome and formidable Runic Cannons.

 

The Defiled were not the only ones to fall here in the Citadel, but Luo-Luo saw scant few Imperial corpses as she passed, likely due to weary soldiers prioritizing their fallen comrades over the Enemy dead. What was more unnerving was all the empty armour, bloodied clothing, and scattered weapons she saw laying about, with no sign of their former owners in sight. Every now and then, she came across a curious dearth of corpses, as if one section of the battlefield had provided complete and utter sanctuary, but the unholy marks of the Father’s foul touch proved otherwise, and only then did Luo-Luo realize what she was seeing. Those empty armours and corpse-less patches were evidence of a Demonic birth, one fuelled by the bloodshed and terror of war and conflict and gave rise to an unholy creation which consumed all the nearby corpses. An unfortunate fate Luo-Luo wouldn’t wish upon anyone, Imperial or Defiled, but what stood out the most in the aftermath of this climatic battle was how there were still so many scattered corpses, limbs, organs, and entrails laying about. Some were separated from their hosts while they were still alive, and others fell from tattered corpses as they were transported to the ever-burning pyres. Their smoking blazes spit out a constant stream of thick, acrid smoke and tainted the air with an unpleasantly enticing scent that cut through the pervasive stench of death and decay, one disturbingly similar to grilled pork cooked just a touch too long, yet still fit for consumption.

 

Is that how Mitsue Hideo would have eaten her, her flesh skewered and seared over an open flame, or would he not have even bothered and taken her bite by bite while she screamed and writhed beneath him?

 

A cold shiver ran down Luo-Luo’s spine as she clutched her sceptre and Mama Bun close for comfort, still yet to wholly recover from her terrifying clash with Mitsue Hideo at District Seventy Eight. Every time she closed her eyes, she found his feral, ravenous expression waiting to greet her, and no matter how hard she fought or long she struggled, there was no escaping his indefatigable hunger. Night after night she fought his horrific shadow in her sleep, and her only escape was to fight free of the nightmare and wake gasping in a cold sweat. Perhaps things would be better now that she’d have someone to cuddle and comfort her, like sweet Aurie splayed out across her and Lin-Lin’s lap, but she doubted it would make any difference at all, even if she could pry the affectionate wildcat away from Lord Husband’s side.

 

It all seemed so unfair. That fateful night in District Seventy-Eight should have been Luo-Luo’s moment of crowning glory, the secrets of the Martial Path unravelling before her eyes as she wielded her chain and sceptre like a Warrior born. Were she the heroine of a drama, this would have been the scene in which the titular heroine turned things around on her Defiled attacker to emerge victorious in a blaze of glory, but reality was a wretched beast with a flair for disillusionment. Despite all her training and Insights, Mitsue Hideo defeated her soundly and would have disgraced her there in the courtyard if not for Mother-in-Law Sarnai’s timely rescue and MuYang’s unexpected arrival. In truth, her part in that night’s events was that of little more than a bystander, a weakness to be targeted in order to ascertain Lord Husband’s whereabouts as opposed to a heroine to be captured and disgraced, as she would be if her life were a play in which she did not star in.

 

Touching her shoulder where she took grievous injury, Luo-Luo repressed a shudder at the mental image of her injury, for despite receiving Healing soon after the fact, she could still feel his teeth tearing into her pale, tender flesh, a sensation she would not soon forget. Mother-in-Law Sarnai had been so supportive in these last weeks, but the Warrior woman didn’t understand Luo-Luo’s fearful and fragile mindset, nor did anyone else in Lord Husband’s household. Sorya and Anrhi were of great comfort in these trying times, but despite having so many loving people in her life, this fear had been ingrained into her soul, a mark which might never fade from now until the end of her days. She was a musician and poet, a calligrapher and artist, not a Warrior or hero of the ages, a frail, fragile maiden with delusions of grandeur who knew not the heights of Heaven or the depths of true despair until Mitsue Hideo set upon her with gnashing teeth and grasping hands.

 

Perhaps that was Luo-Luo’s greatest failing, her inability to set reasonable expectations which was only asking for disappointment, a lesson she’d learned many a time before and would continue to suffer through until she fixed the error of her ways. What good did talent serve if it only made her miserable and lonely? Better if she’d been born mediocre instead, because at least then she would never have stood out to be hammered down by calamity. Perhaps she would have caught the eye of a middling Imperial Scion, one who saw fit to take her as his wife, or been purchased by a well-to-do family and tasked to tutor their children in the arts, instead of left lonely and neglected as the untouched concubine of a cold and heartless man.

 

Blinking quickly to clear her teary eyes, Luo-Luo sniffled and snuggled Mama Bun even closer. Sensing her distress, the sweet rabbit came awake with a languid yawn and set to lapping at Luo-Luo’s cheek, her way of showing love and affection. It wasn’t fair to call Lord Husband cold and heartless when in truth he was a warm and loving man, just one with no room in his heart for Luo-Luo. Perhaps that would change with time, but regardless of what awaited her in the future, there was no need to despair just yet. After returning Mama Bun’s affection with a kiss and a treat, Luo-Luo went back to gazing out her carriage window, except this time with a clearer mind. There was something wrong with the proceedings, something that had gone unnoticed until now, because she was not yet accustomed to the aftermath of battle, but now that she knew to look for it, she saw the truth clear as day. Despite the death and carnage before her, the Empire had undoubtedly scored a grand victory here today, slaughtering Defiled in droves and driving the Enemy army back from whence they came, yet the grim and sombre mood told a different tale, as did the distinct lack of cheer and celebration.

 

It’d been this way at the Districts, the civilians too shocked by the death and violence to appreciate their victory, but the Citadel was teeming with veteran soldiers well versed in the ways of war. Spend enough time around them and one would learn that men and women stained in blood and death were wont to develop a grim and ghastly sense of humour, but none of that was on display here. There were no straight backs or quiet smiles no matter where she looked, as if every soul present had been stained by despair and darkness, the very dirt and stones of the citadel tainted in the aftermath of the Father’s foul attentions.

 

A disturbing sign of things to come if even this heroic victory failed to raise the spirits of Imperial soldiers and give them hope for the future. That was the greatest threat when dealing with the Enemy, as Luo-Luo herself had recently learned, not dealing with the swords and spears of Defiled Warriors, but the invisible wounds their malignant presence left behind, wounds which festered into a fast-spreading plague of depression and despair. Left unchecked, the entire Citadel might soon succumb to the Father’s foul lies and turn against the Mother’s light, a blow from which the Empire might never recover.

 

Lacking any experience in matters of this magnitude, Luo-Luo could only bring her concerns up to Lord Husband, but upon her arrival at the Bulwark gates, she found him entwined in the arms of his beloved wives, both of whom were positively glowing with happiness. Sleepy Lin-Lin shuffled over to join them alongside Li-Li and the happy pets, leaving Luo-Luo to stand back and watch this saccharine reunion with a heavy heart. Oh how she wished Lord Husband would turn his soft, loving gaze upon her like that, hold her close and whisper sweet nothings in her ears, but alas, such a day might never come, for she was not loved and adored like Mila, Yan, and Lin-Lin, or coveted like beautiful Li-Li.

 

No, she was merely a business associate, as Lord Husband’s greeting soon showed, approaching her with a radiant smile and removing his arm from around Yan’s slender waist just long enough to offer Luo-Luo a chaste pat on the wrist, one accompanied by a brief surge of relief and vindication conveyed through Aura. “Good to see you,” he began, looking so handsome and charismatic in the warm, morning light, a ray of sunshine in this otherwise bleak and dreary Citadel. Despite his tattered, bloodstained robes and unkempt, dishevelled hair, he seemed the very picture of nobility as he stood across from her, so full of vigour and vitality as he took the reins of control with his very presence alone. Oddly enough, his arms, neck, and torso were covered in bloodied bandages, the wounds treated through mundane means rather than just being Healed as expected, showing just how tired and spent Lord Husband must be. Despite his weary fatigue, he moved with the grace and dignity of a Warrior born as he turned away and gestured for her to follow. “Come with me. The day is still early and there’s plenty of work yet to be done.”

 

Apparently, that was all the greeting he had for Luo-Luo as he led her into the bulwark proper, the only upside being that he bade farewell to Mila, Yan, Lin-Lin, and Li-Li. Still cradling Mama Bun in her arms and carrying sleepy Noodle in her purse, Luo-Luo was ill-prepared for the audience awaiting her in the gate-house turned banquet-hall. There, upon the same stage she and Lord Husband had sat on during the Legate’s banquet, stood members of the highest echelons of command throughout the outer provinces, men and women of power and authority all gathered in one place. Mother-in-Law Akanai, Father-in-Law Baatar, and Colonel General Nian Zu were all a given, of course, while Commander General Shuai Jiao appeared as if he’d aged ten years in the weeks since Luo-Luo last saw him. The three Marshals were also present, as well as a colourfully armoured and unfamiliar southern Warrior Luo-Luo assumed was the replacement for the recently departed Colonel General Tran Hoang. Stood off to the side out of deference and respect was Lord of Thunder Lei Gong, under-dressed and under-groomed as per usual, though it appeared as if he’d made some effort to tame his wild hair and wear the least tattered and stained of his robes, which wasn’t saying much. Rounding out the group were none other than MuYang and Liu Xuande, the former as unobtrusive as always standing at the latter’s side, dressed like a lowly guard here to serve the brilliant and impeccably dressed Imperial Scion turned brilliant tactician.

 

Lofty individuals one and all, men and women capable of calling the winds and summoning the rains, and yet each and every one of them greeted Lord Husband with the utmost deference and respect. To say this was nothing short of a miracle was no exaggeration, for every single person standing on stage represented the peak of their respective Paths, yet they were all waiting and ready to follow Lord Husband’s lead in matters of war and economics. Might makes right indeed, for even if one overlooked his personal strength, he now possessed the power to eliminate entire armies of Defiled once his Runic Cannons were unleashed, cannons Luo-Luo suspected he would keep shrouded in mystery for as long as possible. What’s more, while she had yet to witness his newfangled strength firsthand, others would have seen Lord Husband Cloud-Stepping through the skies and taking part in the pivotal battle which took place here, a tale she yearned to hear as soon as possible, preferably with BoShui’s enlightened use of evocative and almost lyrical description.

 

To hear Lin-Lin tell it, the Bloody Confessor was merely some insect to be crushed underfoot, but during his last appearance, the fearsome Goujian wounded Colonel General Nian Zu, killed two of the Famed Fifty, and fought off several other Peak Experts before the Ancestral Bristleboar stepped in. If Lord Husband truly defeated this formidable foe, then to say his strength had progressed by leaps and bounds would be a lacking understatement to be sure.

 

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting,” Lord Husband began, naturally taking his place at the head of the table and gesturing for Luo-Luo to stand at his side. Two missteps already, showing deference through apology and placing her above others who were more deserving of the attention. Better if he had Colonel General Nian Zu take his side, or even Mother-in-Law Akanai to show he had strength beyond what the Imperial Army could provide, as featuring Luo-Luo made it seem as if he were a fool enamoured with his concubine and therefore blinded by his ardour. Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, but Luo-Luo knew how the others would see it, especially the stern and chauvinist Southern Marshal, Quyen Huong.

 

The flash of reproach and naked contempt from the Southern Marshal and his chosen Army General was so brief most would have missed it, but Luo-Luo caught a glimpse as she gave her silent respects. At least they were still respectful enough to hide their disdain, which meant Lord Husband had won them over for now, but such wavering loyalties could easily be lost in the blink of an eye. Ignorant of what just transpired, Lord Husband cleared his throat and continued, “Anyways, now that we’re all here, let us clear the air. Commander General Shuai Jiao, your heroic efforts are greatly appreciated and a credit to your nation. As such, using the authority granted to me as Legate of the outer provinces, I hereby ratify your title as Commander General and leave overall command of the Imperial Army in your capable hands.” Without skipping a beat, Lord Husband continued, “I am also appointing Imperial Scion Liu Xuande as my Military Strategist, who will henceforth take charge of non-combat military efforts throughout the outer provinces. As for Imperial Servant Zheng Luo, I bestow upon her the title of Secretary of Office and authorize her to speak with my voice when I am otherwise absent.”

 

“Lord Husband…”

 

“Honoured Legate…”

 

Luo-Luo and Xuande both spoke up to voice their objection, but Lord Husband’s hand was already raised to cut them off. Locking eyes with the aged Commander General, Lord Husband learned forward not in threat, but fatigue, a show of weakness in a time when he should be strong. “These appointments are not a criticism of your laudable efforts, for which you will be rewarded, but rather as a means to bridge the divide between civil and military matters going forward. The original Central Citadel was, quite frankly, an architectural mess, with too much thought and effort going into the bulwark while leaving the rest of the Citadel to fend for itself. I read the after-action reports and as far as I can tell, despite the valiant efforts of the Imperial Army, the most effective exchanges took place when the walls were toppled and we set fire to the inner districts.” Glancing around at the table with a weary sigh, Lord Husband asked, “Does that not strike you as disheartening? To hear that our greatest glories were achieved through self harm?”

 

“Which only goes to show the effectiveness of the tactic,” Commander General Shuai Jiao responded, perhaps a little more defensively than he intended.

 

“Effective, yes, from a purely tactical standpoint when looking at this one, singular battle, but hardly sustainable considering we must now devote significant resources and manpower to restoring the outer walls.” To everyone’s surprise, Marshal Quyen Huong was first to speak out in support of Lord Husband, even as the other military officers seemed ready to support their Commander General. “Not to mention the cost of keeping the Northern and Southern armies in the field without the needed infrastructure in place. Better if we took the same forethought which went into planning the Bulwark’s construction and put it to use along the outer walls.”

 

“Except to do so would greatly hinder troop movements, both in day to day efforts and during a siege.” Shaking his head, Colonel General Nian Zu offered his valued opinion. “The theory behind the Citadel’s defences is sound, for the Bulwark offers the perfect place to make the most effective use of available troops. There’s no doubt in my mind the Bulwark would have held until reinforcements arrive, given how I’m sure the Commander General had plenty of more tricks up his sleeves.”

 

A small nod from Shuai Jiao conveyed the Commander General’s appreciation for his Northern Peer’s support, and it was clear Father-in-Law Baatar also agreed with the sentiment. Lord Husband however was of a different mind, and turned to Liu Xuande for his thoughts. “Given our current circumstances, how would you advise us to proceed regarding the restoration of the Central Citadel?”

 

Wordlessly asking permission to use the ink and parchment on the table, Liu Xuande set to work sketching a diagram of the Citadel as it stood, a broken shell of a fortress that made for a sad sight indeed. “Rebuilding and improving the entire citadel would take too long,” he began, never looking up as he spoke. “And is likely unfeasible, given the cut-throat real-estate ventures which will undoubtedly fight us tooth and nail on any changes we care to make regarding property lines, street layouts, and zoning.” With the basic sketch finished, Xuande coated his brush heavily with dark ink and used it to fill in the void left by the missing outer walls, almost a good half of the Citadel itself. “So rather than rebuild, I say we reshape the Citadel. Turn the entire area in front of the Bulwark into a deep harbour with a single, stone bridge to facilitate troop movements, while expanding barracks and civilian areas to the north, south, and east, outside of what used to be the Citadel proper and upon land Marshal Yo’s office will retain ownership of, so as to avoid those same hardships we saw earlier. I’d like to speak with Miss Cixi before committing to a detailed layout, but this would be the quickest and most effective solution to our current troubles, as the Bulwark would then represent our first line of defence, while the outer perimeter can be rebuilt with offensive destruction in mind.”

 

Locking eyes with Commander General Shuai Jiao, Lord Husband gestured at the Imperial Scion and shrugged as if to say, “See why I value his opinion?”

 

It was clear the Command General did, as he took to the idea almost immediately, as did Marshal Quyen and Colonel General Nian Zu, these like-minded men discussing matters of the utmost importance like friends discussing barn-building during their break rather than the most powerful officials in all the lands. Another oversight on Lord Husband’s part, forgetting to not only have tea and snacks prepared for these esteemed individuals, but also denying them even the comfort of a chair to sit on. Ten steps forward in strength, but five back in politics, Lord Husband’s recent stupor had done nothing to improve his manners.

 

Noticing her attentions, Lord Husband responded with a shy but amused smile, and surprised Luo-Luo with a Sending, one delivered without need for physical contact. “Sorry for not bringing it up beforehand, but you did such a great job as stand-in Legate, I figured I’d make the job official.” Cheeks flushed with shame, she was unable to meet Lord Husband’s eyes any longer for she was undeserving of his praise. Were it not for her gaffes, the Commander General would never have seized control away from her and forced her to put Lord Husband’s Death Corps to work, but given her inability to Send, she would have to wait until they were alone to voice her objections.

 

“Think about your zither.” The abrupt change of topic caught Luo-Luo off-guard, but Lord Husband pressed on without explanation. “More specifically, the strings. When you pluck one, it vibrates back and forth to produce a certain sound. By varying the weight of each string and pressing down to change the lengths as you play, you can then produce a melody made up of different notes, with each note producing a uniquely different vibration pattern. See where I’m going with this?”

 

She did, for as Lord Husband spoke, his words produced an image in her mind that she’d never before seen, a white, sinuous line that vibrated in place to form a wave that rose and fell in rhythm to his Sending, a visual which she understood to represent the sounds she was hearing. Grasping the concept behind this immediately, she visualized a zither in her mind’s eye and assigned a note to each of the twenty-three word sounds and their five tones. Once she had this system in place, she played a tune to construct a message, but try as she might, she wasn’t sure how to Send it to Lord Husband, until she thought back to what Lord Husband said about focusing specifically on the strings. A zither in her mind would not help her send; instead, she needed to use Chi as her instrument in order to convey a message through Sending. With this in mind, she went back to the zither in her mind and tried to recreate the movements of each note with Chi alone, which was simple enough, movements she then transmitted through air the same way any sound would travel. “CAN YOU HEAR ME LORD HUSBAND?” she asked, without using her voice, only rather than Sending the question to him and him alone, she somehow announced it for all to hear in ear-splitting fashion.

 

“Damn, girlie.” Picking at his ear with his pinky finger, Lei Gong winced and shook his head in exaggerated pain, and the other gathered parties showed similar signs of discomfort. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think ye were tryin’ to steal me title.”

 

Thankfully, the other gathered officials were too polite to make fun of Luo-Luo, even if Lord Husband’s smile promised a future mocking, but he Sent further instructions to help her understand where she went wrong. “The sounds you Send need not emerge from you directly. Rather than transmit them through the air, try to transmit the sound directly to me, with no need to travel from your physical body to mine.” A few tries later saw Luo-Luo’s first success, and from there it was only a matter of modulating her volume by changing the magnitude of her vibrations. “There we go,” he Sent, upon receiving her second successful message. “Clever girl. I knew you’d pick it up quickly, but that was even faster than expected. Now why so glum?”

 

Though elated to find success so easily, Luo-Luo’s spirits dropped at the reminder of her unsightly mistakes. “Lord Husband, this one is unworthy of your praise, as you will see yourself once you are made aware of the details…” Unable to stop the flow of words once it’d been unleashed, Luo-Luo confessed to all her blunders whether they were great or small. Losing her authority to Shuai Jiao was only the beginning, for she’d almost missed Father-in-Law Baatar’s many hints that she should utilize the Death Corps to protect the Districts and nearly brought calamity down upon Mother-in-Law Sarnai’s head.

 

Luo-Luo still had more to confess when Lord Husband cut her off. “I know all about this,” he Sent, patting her hand in scant comfort. “Mom told me everything after the battle, especially about what you’ve done. Expanding militia training, personally funding District repairs and improvements, ensuring everyone was well-fed and protected… You did everything I would’ve done, only better because I would’ve just gone to you for help. What’s more, the entire Empire owes you a debt of gratitude for enabling this grand victory here today, because without your efforts bringing the cannons to the nearby Districts unseen and immediately sending the Royal Guardians in to support the Citadel, we might not have had the ability to drive the Enemy back, or would have incurred even more losses to do so.” Smiling as he tentatively took her hand in his, he squeezed it ever so gently while emanating an Aura of warm approval and admiration, which soon turned to cold anger and righteous indignation, though not directed at her. “Had I known what happened beforehand, I’d have put more effort into finding that bastard Hideo and killed him myself, but don’t you worry. I won’t let him hurt you ever again.”

 

A touching sentiment, especially with Lord Husband’s emotions laid bare through Aura, anger suffused with heavy hints of attachment and possessiveness that he could not hide. It wasn’t love, not even close, but it showed that he already viewed Luo-Luo as his woman, even if he had yet to accept it. A marked improvement from the disdain, disgust, or even indifference she feared he might react with instead, as there were men who would toss their courtesans aside at the mere hint of infidelity or impurity, but Lord Husband once again proved he was different from the rest. Whether she had to wait one year or five, it would still be well worth the wait to win Lord Husband’s affections, though any longer and Luo-Luo would be a thirty-year-old maid unworthy of love any longer…

 

“Enough talk of rebuilding.” Though Lord Husband’s tone was neither brusque nor domineering, the gathered officials showed no sign of discontent over being interrupted. “We don’t all need to be here for that, so let us move on to other topics first, namely our next steps.” Turning to Luo-Luo, he asked, “If the District farmers return to work today, how long until we can expect a harvest, and will we be on track for a surplus of food come winter?”

 

“Even without the Central Districts, we would have enough to see all the Districts fed with a sizable surplus to sell.” Mostly due to Lord Husband’s idea to have the farmers specialize instead of allowing them to plant and sell whatever they pleased. Sixty days for rice, forty-five for cabbages, fifty-five for soy-beans, and seventy for radishes meant the farmers had time for multiple harvests per growing season, and while this all made for a bland diet, it was nourishing enough when augmented with fish or waterfowl, of which there was more than enough to go around.

 

“And how long until we have enough food to feed an army in the field? Say, one million soldiers and all the necessary camp followers.”

 

This time, Luo-Luo had no choice but to look to Xuande for an answer, as she lacked the necessary information at hand. “A hundred and eighty days if relying solely on the Districts and fisheries, perhaps half that if we continue importing supplies at the same rate, though the expense will be… significant.”

 

“Call it ninety days then, maybe less if the Brotherhood has any good gardening tips, though they might be too busy building schools, clerical offices, and monasteries.” Seeing Luo-Luo’s curiosity, Lord Husband Sent, “Right… I promised I’d supply the materials for all of that, so we’re gonna need a lot more wood and concrete. Don’t worry about the cost; even though we can’t issue any War Bonds, I bet people would be more than willing to accept transferable promissory notes which are officially stamped by the Minister of Finance alone. You already know what to do.” Of course… this was always his goal with War Bonds, to introduce paper money, which was what he was now suggesting only not in so many words. The outer provinces had already accepted the premise of War Bonds and this would be no different, except Lord Husband was bold enough to remove the Grand Marshal and Disciplinary Corps from the equation, both of whom were required to dispense War Bonds, while these promissory notes would be dealt with by Lord Husband’s office alone. Brilliant.

 

Out loud, he continued, “So then our deadline is set.”

 

“Our deadline for what?” An accommodating man, Marshal Yo, even if his loyalty was worth less than the dirt he stood upon. At least his brother was steadfast in his support, though that might well have been the angle they decided to play, the younger Yo supporting the Legate while the older hedged their bets.

 

“For our counterattack.” Speaking over the chorus of objections, Lord Husband straightened up and said, “Even after last night’s momentous victory, the mood within the Citadel is dour and downcast. Why? Because the soldiers and citizens lack hope. They saw the hefty cost we paid to throw the Defiled back, and fear we cannot afford it a second time, much less a third, fourth, and fifth, so they believe this is the beginning of the end, and they are right, but not for the right reasons.” Flashing a predatory grin, Lord Husband gestured at the Lord of Thunder and said, “You’ve all seen what those cannons can do, but this is merely scratching the surface. Once we have enough in hand, we can bring an entire city down to its knees with but a single volley. The face of war has forever changed, and we must strike now before our Enemy has time to adapt. Three months from today, I intend to march westward with an army at my back to begin our holy crusade to retake the West. I am not suggesting it, but demanding it, for we must deliver hope to our people, or all is lost. I want a plan of attack to go over by week’s end, but we’ll have plenty of time for revisions.” Leaving no room for objections, Lord Husband unfurled a map of the Western Border and pointed at Sui Hua harbour in the north, his eyes gleaming with ambition. “In the meantime, what say we go on a badger hunt, dad? Tell me about Huanhuzi and his fleet.”

 

It was a startling change to see, so subtle and profound it was difficult to put into words, but Lord Husband was different now. Though still amiable and soft-spoken, there was a steel to Lord Husband’s words that didn’t demand deference so much as compel it, so much so that even Commander General Shuai Jiao and Marshal Quyen Huong were swept up into Lord Husband’s pace. Standing at his side, Luo-Luo watched him at work and marvelled at how he’d finally adapted to the role he was born for, a true dragon among men. This was their Legate, Falling Rain, the man who would lead the Empire to victory against the Enemy, a fact she meant for the whole Empire to hear of soon enough.

 

Luo-Luo only hoped that he set aside some time to conquer her as well before setting off to reclaim the west…

 

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