Romancing the Son of Heaven

Stratagem 16: Be a Little Personal (3)

"Under the previous king's reign — or it should already be the reign of the king before that — there were regular skirmishes and wars with the demons despite the long stretches of peace that he also managed to secure. Anyway, it was still a time of unrest and while people could hardly notice that in the capital city of the dragon realm, it was a different matter altogether in the regions further away.

"Especially those that were closer to the borders were often the goals of these attacks. While the king did station soldiers there, it was hardly predictable when and where an attack would happen so the dragons were not always victorious and often even suffered grievous setbacks.

"This is something that cannot be blamed on the dragon king. Depending on who ruled in our realm and who ruled in the demon realm, there were always different strategies implemented. In fact, the king that ruled back then was a very good monarch and one that the dragons cherished very much. He was also very distressed about what was happening in the border region so he tried to think of something to help his people out.

"He thought to himself that it would be for the best to find out more about the situation first and then act. Because he was needed in the capital city to rule over everything and maybe go to the battlefield if it was required because of a large scale attack, he sent one of his disciples to investigate the situation. This disciple was supposed to bring back anything he could find out about the situation of the villages along the border region and the situation of the demons, as well as anything else he discovered that might help them with solving the situation.

"Since it was his Master's order, he naturally went out and did as he was told. Unfortunately, the situation turned out to be more grave than he had expected. Not only were the demons close by, lying in ambush for their next attack, no, there was also something else that was making the situation more difficult." Qiu Ling fell silent, and the two of them walked on in silence for a few steps.

Jing He glanced at Qiu Ling, wondering if he was waiting for him to say anything. "That's ... What could've been the reason things were more difficult than expected?"

Qiu Ling gave a slight smile. "Well, as it turned out, the reason while so many had fallen victim to the demons' attacks was because they had no way to flee. Very close by was a forest. Because of the layout of the region, it was a place that they definitely would have to cross if they wanted to flee in the direction of the capital, where the demons wouldn't be able to reach them and they would be able to acquire help.

"Unfortunately, there was something in these woods that made it almost impossible for them to cross them without having to fear for their life: A mythical creature had made them its home. Thus, their only way to freedom was blocked. In other words, the dragons were trapped in their villages, forced to wait for death."

"That sounds horrible."

Qiu Ling nodded. "It certainly does. One doesn't even want to imagine what it must feel like to be in that situation. Anyway, this at least told the king's disciple what he needed to know. As long as he was able to get the information that this creature was living there back to the capital city, then his Master could send somebody to take care of this. After all, wasn't it just a matter of exterminating the creature or making it leave the woods and go somewhere else? That could certainly be done.

"As it turned out, things were not that easy. Just when he was asking around to inquire for some more information, there was another attack by the demons. The dragons were his own kind, so naturally, he couldn't just watch as they were killed off. He didn't have it in him to hold back and do nothing so he got involved in the fight.

"While he fought valiantly, he was but one person added to their side. He and the villagers naturally weren't able to resist against an army of demons that even had an easier time getting reinforcements.