Blood spattered Prince Yong's silk robes as the village headman's head hit the dusty ground, rolling twice before coming to rest against a burning cart. Yong wiped his curved blade on the dead man's dress.
"Seven villages in three days," said Commander Shen."The local garrison will have word of our advance by now."
"Let them come," Yong replied, surveying the burning village with satisfaction. Flames burn thatched roofs while his soldiers moved through the streets, breaking, taking, killing. The horror of screams had lost to whimpers and moans. "I want Emperor Tao to know exactly where I am."
A soldier approached, dragging a struggling boy ten years old. "This one claims his father serves in the imperial army, Your Highness."
Yong crouched, bringing himself eye-level with the child. Despite his tear-streaked face, the boy stared back defiantly.
"What's your name, child?" Yong asked, his voice deceptively gentle.
"Liu Wei," the boy answered, chin raised.
"And your father? What unit does he serve in?"
"The Jade Banner. He's a captain." Pride flickered in the boy's eyes. "He'll kill you for this."
Yong laughed "Will he now?" He gestured to Commander Shen. "Bring me the demonstration."
Shen barked an order, and soldiers dragged forward several villagers—mostly women and children, chained and terrified.
"You see, Liu Wei, I want your father to know what happens to the families of men who serve the false emperor." Yong drew an arrow from his quiver, examining its sharpened tip. "I want him to hear stories of what Prince Yong did to his son."
The boy's defiance wavered. "My father will—"
"Your father will weep," Yong interrupted shouting, "when he hears how his son screamed." He turned to his archers. "Notch arrows."
Twenty bows rose in unison.
"Please," a woman cried from among the bound villagers. "They're children!"
Yong smiled. "Yes, they are. Children who will grow up to serve Emperor Tao—unless they don't grow up at all." He raised his hand. "Loose!"
Arrows flew through the air. Bodies fell. Screams pierced the night. The boy, Liu Wei, stood frozen, eyes wide with horror as he watched friends and neighbors fall.
"Again," Yong commanded.
Another arrows. More screams. Fewer this time.
"Bring me the oil," Yong ordered, grasping the boy by his collar.
A soldier presented a clay jar. Yong removed the cover, the smell of lamp oil filling the air.
"This is what happens to those who serve the Dragon," Yong said, pouring the oil over the trembling child. "This is what awaits all of Xingyan when I'm finished."
Liu Wei's terror finally broke his resolve. "Please," he shouted. "I don't want to die."
"We all die, child," Yong replied, producing a flint striker from his belt. "Some more honorable than others."
The fire caught immediately. The boy's screams echoed across the village square as he became a living torch, running blindly before collapsing in a burning heap.
Commander Shen's face remained unconcerned, but his knuckles hardened around his sword hilt. "The men have gathered the village's food stores, Your Highness. Shall we move on?"
"Not yet." Yong surveyed the village. "Bring me the survivors. All of them."
Within minutes, his soldiers had assembled thirty or more villagers—those who had hidden well enough to escape the slaughter but not well enough to run from their enemies. They knelt in the dirt, eyes downcast, trembling.
Yong paced before them, blood-spattered boots leaving red prints in the dust. "Citizens of Xingyan," he announced, "you find yourselves at a crossroads of history. The corrupt reign of Emperor Tao nears its end. A new dynasty rises." He stopped before an elderly man. "You may pledge yourselves to me now and live as subjects of the new order, or cling to your false emperor and die as traitors."
He drew his sword, pressing the tip beneath the old man's chin, forcing his head up. "What do you say, elder? Who rules these lands? Who commands your loyalty?"
The man's rheumy eyes stare at Yong eyes, a lifetime of hardship evident in the deep lines of his wrinkled face. For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, with surprising steadiness, the elder spoke. "I bow to only one ruler—Emperor Tao of Xingyan, Son of Heaven, Dragon of the Eastern Realms, whose ancestors' blessings flow through our rivers and whose wisdom nurtures our lands like the spring rains." His voice grew stronger with each word. "May the spirits protect the true emperor from his demons and pretenders who spill innocent blood."
A murmur ran through the assembled villagers. Some lowered their foreheads to the ground in the imperial kowtow.
Yong's face darkened. "You choose death, then."
The old man smiled faintly. "We all die, Prince. Some more honorably than others."
Yong recognized his own words thrown back at him. Rage bloomed behind his eyes. "Bring his family," he shouted.
Soldiers dragged forward a middle-aged woman and two teenage boys.
"One last chance," Yong offered, pressing his blade harder until a trickle of blood ran down the elder's throat. "Renounce Emperor Tao. Acknowledge me as your rightful ruler."
The elder's eyes flicked to his family, pain evident in him. But he remained silent.
"Very well." Yong stepped back. "Commander Shen, kill the younger boy first. Let the family watch."
Shen hesitated, a noticed pause.
"Now, Commander," Yong growled angrily.
Shen moved forward, drawing his sword. The younger boy, no more than fifteen, stared up at him with terrified eyes.
"Forgive me," Shen whispered.
His sword flashed. Blood sprayed. The boy collapsed.
The woman screamed, rushing forward to his son only to be held by soldiers. The elder man made no sound, but tears streamed down his wrinkled cheeks.
"The other boy next," Yong ordered. "Slowly."
Shen's face had turned to stone. He approached the remaining teenager, who spat at Yong's feet before closing his eyes.
Another flash of steel. Another life extinguished.
"And now the woman," Yong said, voice cold as winter.
The elder finally broke. "Stop! Please, I'll bow. I'll do whatever you ask."
Yong smiled. "Too late, old man. You had your chance." He nodded to Shen. "Proceed."
The woman died with a curse on her lips, promising Yong would face judgment in the afterlife.
"And now," Yong said, approaching the elder, "you die knowing your stubbornness killed your family." He raised his sword. "But not now."
Later, as dawn broke and the village burnt in ashes behind them, Commander Shen rode alongside his prince.
"The men talk, Your Highness," Shen said carefully. "They question whether such... methods... are necessary."
Yong's eyes narrowed. "Do they question me, Commander?"
"No, Your Highness. They fear you. But fear and loyalty are different creatures."
"Fear is more reliable." Yong adjusted his blood gloves. "We advance to Crane River. Emperor Tao marches west with his army."
Shen's head snapped up. "The Emperor leads personally? That's impossible."
"Indeed." A slow smile spread across Yong's face. "It seems our alliance bears fruit. Prince Kwan assured me his brother would never take the field himself. Yet here he comes, like a lamb to slaughter."
"And if we're defeated? Twenty thousand men against the imperial host—"
"We won't be," Yong interrupted. "Because we won't face the full imperial army. Prince Kwan will see to that."
Shen's brow furrowed. "You trust Prince Kwan? A man who betrays his own brother?"
"I trust his ambition," Yong replied. "I trust his hatred. I've seen it in his eyes—the same hunger that drives me." He laughed suddenly. "Besides, betrayal runs in the family. My father betrayed me by favoring my brothers. I betray him by taking what he wouldn't give me. And Kwan betrays Tao for the same reason."
They ride in a hull, revealing the vast plain stretching toward Crane River. In the distance, the waters shinned like a white serpent in the morning sun.
"When the imperial army arrives," Yong continued, "Kwan will ensure his brother rides at the front. One black arrow—untraceable, poisoned—and the Dragon Throne loses its occupant." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Who would question the succession when Prince Kwan heroically avenges his fallen brother by crushing the Qiushan invaders?"
"And your reward, Your Highness? What has Prince Kwan promised you?"
Yong's smile turned predatory. "The western territories. Autonomy. Recognition as King of Western Qiushan rather than merely a prince." He chuckled darkly. "Of course, Kwan doesn't intend to honor our agreement once he's secured the throne. Just as I don't intend to remain his vassal once I've consolidated my forces."
Shen stared at his prince with new understanding. "You're using the invasion as a foothold. A permanent occupation."
"Perceptive, Commander." Yong gestured toward the eastern lands. "While Emperor Tao and Prince Kwan play their game of family succession, I'll be building my own kingdom from these ashes."
He spurred his horse forward, calling over his shoulder, "Now, let's find another village. I grow tired of riding without entertainment."