STATE OF CHU:
The two most powerful people in the largest land state of all the Seven Warring States received the news of Zhao's victory against Qin.
"Hoooo…" Breathed King Kou Restu of Chu, it was only Shun Shin Kun present, so he allowed himself to be informal in front of his prime minister. The King of Chu rubbed his forehead. "This Sei Chou is certainly no ordinary person. How many times have we heard his name be associated with world-shaking news?"
Shun Shin Kun, who stood beside the throne of Chu, answered respectfully to his King, "Many times, Your Highness. Ever since his victory against Yan, I've felt the Zhao General has seen the world differently. Though I did doubt his capabilities to hold his own against the very strongest of warriors."
There was a bit of silence. "Do you still think it was a good thing that we kept the news of Kan Mei's victory against Oukotsu a secret?" King Kou Retsu asked.
"No sire, whilst the Qin still have Prince Shou Hei Kun as a hostage. We stay on at least amicable terms; this is just an unfortunate circumstance fashioned by the King Shou of Qin's own hands." Shun Shin Kun replied.
"Do you truly think he is stronger than Kan Mei, Shun Shin Kun?"
"Kan Mei is one of the strongest warriors I have seen, Your Majesty. But this news, to beat and slay Oukotsu in a 1v1 duel and then tactically outmanoeuvre and strategically beat Ko Shou… It nears the realm of folklore. If it were not for Sei Chou's previous battles and who his teacher was, I would've disregarded the news as Zhao propaganda."
"It's Great Heaven Sei Chou now," Replied the King of Chu before continuing, " Zhao is looking to increase their numbers once more, and this time it is coming at the cost of the Qin Great Generals. Do you think it is the desire of the Zhao King to see the destruction of Qin in its totality?"
"I will begin my investigation of the matter but still… It is a heavy blow to both the confidence and invincibility of King Shou… To lose both Oukotsu and Ko Shou to your most hated enemies…" Shun Shin Kun's words trailed off.
…
STATE OF ZHAO: KANTAN/HANDAN
SEI CHOU POV
Passing through the gates to the capital, the people of Kantan welcomed and cheered the arrival of me and my victorious army. Under the circumstances, this was one of, if not the greatest achievement, something that bordered on a miracle victory.
As the face and head of the army, it was up to me to act very stoic, showing barely a hint of emotion. Well, that would've been how I acted if Gyou'un had his way, but I, of course, embraced, revelled and drank in the adoration with a bright smile. Waving at some, accepting the offered flowers from others and the handkerchief from a few of the many, many females in the crowd (I hope Chun Li won't be too mad). The journey to the capital, which usually would be brisk, was much longer as people pushed, shoved and ran to either hug or throw flowers to us.
The few children who'd managed to get past the security were all smiling so widely it was silly, but adhering. They only wanted to cheer and give praise to us, to cheer and share the joy.
As we entered the Royal Court, the looks and glances we received from the ministers, court officials and civil servants only told me that my company was more than impressive. Those in the court all bowed en masse; the only people not to were those of the royal family. There was also a very fat man, who'd struggled under his weight to get down on one knee, grumbling and frowning as he did. He stood next to an… interesting? Could I even call him that? The man was definitely a Prince of Zhao by the clothes he wore, but I felt my skin crawl when we locked eyes for a split second.
Prime Minister Hei Gen Kun, whom I'd had previous dealings with, came forward and stood in front of me, not being able to remove the light smile on his face before speaking, "It seems you continuously go above and beyond our expectations; Zhao is truly favoured by heaven. A Great Heaven of comparable level with the likes of Ren Pa, Rin Shou Jo and Chou Sha. The young boy whom the Phantasmal General sent our way has now grown into a fine man worthy of respect and righteousness. I shall have a nice gift delivered to you; may you continue to go above and beyond for Zhao."
I smiled at the elderly man and replied, "Thank you, Prime Minister; your generous words alone are a gift in themselves. I shall continue to try and live up to your expectations of me."
Lord Hei Gen Kun leaned back slightly, smiling and looking me up and down as he did so before he leaned back in and said quietly so only the two of us could hear, "We shall meet after the ceremony."
I nearly raised a brow but was interrupted by the sound of a gong being struck, "Your attention, please, esteemed gentlemen. His Majesty has arrived!" We all bowed low, going down to both knees; only the footsteps of King Xiaocheng could be heard as he walked past before going to sit on his throne.
"We will hereby begin the reward ceremony!" Shouted Lord Hei Gen Kun, "We will begin by awarding the top three men, starting from the bottom and working to the top. These are the exemplary men whose accomplishments stood out the most in the battle! Each man will receive a sword personally given to him by his majesty!" One of the high-ranking members of the court came forward, Chancellor Hi.
"First up will be the duo Lords Chou Garyuu and Gyou'un. These two men are credited with keeping calm, taking command of the Zhao forces and dealing heavy blows to the Qin army throughout the battle. Both warriors stepped up and commanded the battlefield while their Lord could not, and for that, they received the third-rank merit. For that, they will be promoted to the rank of General." In truth, though we all called them Generals, Gyou'un and Chou Garyuu were not actually Generals; I used a loophole in the system to give them the number of troops without them having the rank.
Now that changed, and both of them could raise armies of up to 100,000 if they wanted to do so. Gyou'un was the first to accept his sword from the King before Chou Garyuu.
"Next! The second highest achievement, this person dealt with the scourge of the Quarong! And it was the same man who led a decisive attack on the Zhao Headquarters, causing the Zhao to retreat and then breaching the southern gates of Sui City! Vice General Chou Haku of the Chou Haku army! The General will have his rank in nobility raised by one count. Will be given 2000 gold and 5 units of treasure. He will also be given lands…" Chou Haku walked calmly forward with a smile. He glanced at me I only inclined my head, to which he chuckled lightly.
"Thank you for your service; may heaven continue to favour you." The King said, placing the sword in Chou Haku's hands.
"Yes, sire."
"Moving onto the third and final prize! To the man who receives the greatest honour, the man who led Zhao's men to victory! This man did not put to rest the abominable Oukotsu, one of Qin's 6 Great Generals, a most hated foe of Zhao who caused terror for our Kingdom, but he also led his army to besiege Sui City and slew another abhorrent Qin 6 Great General, Ko Shou! The Commander in Chief, General Sei Chou!" Chancellor Hi announced. I stood but paused as I saw King Xiaocheng's hand was raised.
The King stepped forward with the sword in his hands, "Men of Zhao, this man has created a miraculous feat! At a heavy disadvantage, he only saw the bright path ahead of him! With two terrors of Qin in front of him, he walked forward, not thinking to take a step back! Hence let it be known and let all who stand here with us today bear witness!"
"THAT FROM THIS MOMENT ONWARDS THAT SEI CHOU OF THE SEI CHOU ARMY IS HEREBY NAMED… A GREAT HEAVEN OF ZHAO!!!" The king announced at the top of his lungs, before the whole court stood up in raucous cheers.
…..
My army went to celebrate my new title in the capital. I knew they would be going wild with celebrations and didn't hold them back. However, I couldn't quite join them in their celebrations just yet since I had a meeting that could not be missed.
And since I was here, so was Fu Jin, who grumbled from behind me as we were ushered in by one of Lord Hei Gen Kun's many daughters. The meeting place was his own estate in the capital, and I was sure that there were spies who saw me enter and would see me leave.
Sat down at the low table with wine and food, one of the four Lords of the Warring States beckoned us to sit down, drink and eat before the conversation started.
"Congratulations, Great Heaven of Zhao. If my memory serves me correctly, you would be the youngest Great Heaven to be named, beating out your late Lord Rin Shou Jo by just a year."
"That seems to be correct; my teacher had always been the type to never do things in half measures, a truly phenomenal man he was," I replied, and a wistful smile graced the aged features of the Prime Minister.
"Phenomenal was the only way Rin Shou Jo could be described; he'd always say life was short, so why not rush things a little… Haaa… To lose such a great man so soon after Chou Sha's own passing was… bitter, so bitter some days I wake and see all the two of them bickering about this strategy or that tactic."
"Lord Chou Sha was your son…? Was he not?" I asked.
"Indeed, and what a son he was. A tiger like none other, while my others were all good for nothing, Chou Sha was the gift I'd always asked for, an upstanding man who walked the bright path, a man who struck fear and awe in the hearts of foes and friends respectively…"
"I wish I could've met him." I really did. The way Lord Rin Shou Jo would speak about his brother in arms, the man sounded similar to Uncle Ren Pa but less eccentric; there would've been so many things to learn from such a veteran who'd presided over many battles and even come up against the Military God of War when he was around my own age.
Something seemed to make Lord Hei Gen Kun chuckle as he looked at me. "Hahaha." The elderly man caressed his grey beard. "How similar, Chou Sha was the same when I told him about Gaku Ki the first time; that hunger to face off against a worthy opponent shines through the admiration for such a person." Oh, it seems I let my aura run a tad bit wild there.
One of the best ways to learn was to face off against someone after all, "Apologies, Prime Minister." I went to bow my head, but a hand stopped me.
"No, no. That's the way it is meant to be, as a Great Heaven battle should be on the mind… Though I would say before your next battle you should look to continue." I raised a brow, not quite understanding.
Fu Jin beside me snickered, seeing that I was stumped, which gained the attention of Zhao's second most powerful man. "Oh, you have already started?"
"Indeed, Prime Minister. My firstborn Fu Tei." Ohh, so that's what he meant.
That earned an approved nod, "Good, warriors can not only look towards the battlefield, but they must always ensure eternal affairs are well kept in place before looking out to the external."
"Hmph, if I could interrupt. If not for the Quarong and Qin, I would be focused on continuation as well." That got laughs from both Fu Jin and Lord Hei Gen Kun. I only said a silent sentence to Chun Li and Yuu Sui in my mind. No marks for anyone who got it wrong.
"Anyway, let's get to the reason why I called you here, Sei Chou." The old man became serious, sitting a little straighter; I, in turn, mirrored him.
"You must've seen him? The crown prince of Zhao and next in line for the throne."
With an incline of my head, I spoke, "Yes, I did and the weighty man beside him."
Hei Gen Kun frowned with scorn and distaste, "A deplorable, detestable one that boy is. Even the thought of hi-" He stopped himself with a shake of his head, "Besides the point, I wish to endorse and use all my power to back you." My eyebrows rose as I reeled in slight shock.
Hei Gen Kun waved his hands as if to alleviate the worries due to my expression, "Now, now I have a feeling that boy would spell an unfortunate future for Zhao, a future I do not wish to see even if I'm amongst the heavens, what I wish to do is give you a firm standing, such a standing that even his followers would have to think twice about confronting you."
"I failed with my own son, and Lord Rin Shou Jo and that Ren Pa is so focused on war he cares little for court intrigue, so much so that I know he would do something rash which would lead to his banishment from Zhao." In my mind's eye, I could see Uncle Ren Pa getting so frustrated with the court that he caused a major scene, most likely if Zhao were dumb enough to strip him of his rank… but surely they couldn't be so short-sighted and stupid… surely?
"I see we're thinking along the same lines. As I see it, you have the backing of the late Lord Rin Shou Jo and those who supported him and Great Heaven Ren Pa, but that foundation is not solid enough, and I want to reinforce it with my own backing. The fate of Zhao can not be left in his hands." With his piece said, the old man relaxed and sipped some wine, though I could see from his eyes that he was still slightly on edge.
Hmmm, this move was a major risk. Since if I threw my lot in with the Hei Gen Kun, I would instantly be at odds with the Crown Prince; the King could die anytime, and it would be the Crown Prince who ruled. Without his favour, I would definitely get screwed over… But the backing of one of the Four Lords of the Warring States was no small matter.
This was a man who held power comparable to or even greater than the current King of Zhao and some Kings in this era. With that backing, I could gain better standing, more political power and clout throughout the world.
Well, once I weighed the pros and cons, my answer started to become clearer…