Fa Mulan lay in bed wide awake. She waited until she heard her parents fast asleep. Then she slipped out of bed and donned her Father's armor and slipped out of the house and ran to the stables and ran into the stables. Unbeknownst to her, General Li's son knew what she planned to do. He stepped into the stables and said: "where the hell are you going?" Mulan turned around. She said: "Shang, you wouldn't understand." Shang crossed his arms and said: "try me." Mulan said: "Shang, my Father was crippled in the last war. He can hardly walk without a cane. He won't survive another war, let alone army camp. I can't let him go and wind up dying. That's why I'm going in his place. It's the only way to protect him and my sister." Shang sighed and uncrossed his arms and walked in and saddled his own horse and said: "for the record, this is incredibly dangerous. You'd be killed if you were found out. But I do understand why you're doing this. It's very honorable. Which is why I'm going to take a risk and help you. Thankfully, I'm heading the same way anyways. I'll do what I can to help you without blowing your cover. You'll need a name. Mulan would give you away right off. I had a friend named Ping. You'll go by that name." Mulan said: "thank you, Shang. I'm grateful that you're willing to help me." Shang said: "thank me later when this damn war is over. Believe me, army training won't be easy." Mulan said: "Father has been teaching me how to fight in my spare time. I'll survive training." Shang said: "you're fortunate that it was me that figured out that you planned to take your Father's place and not my Father. My Father wouldn't be as supportive. He'd send you home in a heartbeat. Thankfully, my Father appointed me as Captain. So, I'll be in charge of the training." Mulan said: "I'm grateful for your help." Shang mounted his horse. Then Mulan mounted Khan and said: "ready." Then they rode out of the stables. Shang said: "this is incredibly dangerous. We could both be killed. Especially you. I'd be killed because I'm helping a woman. You know how the law works." Mulan said: "I know. And I'm grateful that you're willing to take a risk and help me do this." Shang said: "in all fairness, I got kinda pissed off at my Father. Mostly because he called your Father a coward. I stood up to him and then stormed out. I think that's what made me decide to help you. I believe you have potential. And I'll help you every step of the way, even if it results in either of us losing our lives. Truth be told, I'd rather help you rather than my Father. I guess I decided to rebel. I think I got that from you. That's what makes us friends. Mulan, the troops won't go easy on you. You'll have to prove yourself. You'll have to earn their respect." Mulan nodded. They rode through the stormy night. Shang knew that he was taking a risk in helping Mulan. But it was worth the risk knowing that it was for honor. After hearing her reason, he decided to take a risk and help her. He knew that he could potentially be killed for helping her. They rode in silence. Shang remembered her telling him about the matchmaker disaster. He knew that the risks were high for both of them. If they weren't careful, she could be found out. As much as he hated to do it, he'd have to be harsh with her to protect her secret. But he knew that she was determined to stop her Father from being killed in war. He knew that Fa Zhou couldn't walk without a cane. Which would slow him down. If Fa Zhou tried to serve again, he would most certainly be killed in war. Therefore, even though it went against the law, and he could potentially be killed, he decided to help her. They rode for a few days. Finally they reached Wu Zhong camp. Mulan and Shang dismounted from their horses. They looked at the camp. Shang looked at Mulan and said: "ready?" Mulan nodded. Then Shang walked into camp ahead of Mulan. Mulan sighed and worked on deepening her voice to sound like a man. Once she felt like her voice sounded like a man, she walked confidently into camp. She looked around. Her eyes caught on three soldiers in particular. They noticed her and spoke up loud enough for her to hear them. Mulan wasn't sure if they were mocking her or if they genuinely wanted to meet her. They sounded sincere. It would be nice to have a few friends here. She took a risk and walked confidently over to the three soldiers. The three soldiers introduced themselves as Yao, Ling, and Chien Po. Mulan said: "pleasure to meet you. My name is Ping." Chien Po said: "we'd like to be your friends." Mulan said: "I'd like that. It would be nice to have a few friends here. I'm a bit of an outcast back home. I only have one friend and you already know him." Ling said: "the Captain?" Mulan nodded. Yao said: "well, now you've got yourself three new friends." Mulan said: "I appreciate that. I have very few friends. Everyone back home calls me names. Except for my family. My sisters are better at their duties than I am. My Father was crippled in the previous war and can't walk without a cane. I came in my Father's place because he won't survive another war or army training for that matter. So I decided to come in my Father's place." Chien Po said: "that's very honorable. And brave. It took a lot of courage to do that." Ling said: "yeah. You left home to protect your Father and sisters. That's the mark of a man. The rest of us came because we were drafted. But you came because you care about your family. You're very brave, Ping." Mulan was encouraged by their words. It boosted her confidence. She noticed Shang motioning urgently for her to come over. Mulan said: "excuse me. I'll be back shortly." Yao said: "we'll be here when you get back." Then Mulan walked over to Shang. Shang pulled her aside and said: "Mulan, your Father found out. He's on his way here. I'll try to explain things to him. In the meantime, I think it would be best if you stay close to your friends. I see you met Yao, Ling, and Chien Po. They're good men. Also, I think it's safe to tell them your secret. I think they'll still be your friends whether your a man or a woman. The only way to find out is to tell them and watch their reactions. Be careful who you tell." Mulan nodded. Then she walked back over to the three soldiers. She was shaken up. Ling noticed her coming first. He said: "hey Ping. What's wrong?" Mulan said: "first of all, I have to tell you something but I don't want everyone to hear." Then the three soldiers and Mulan walked away from the camp and down to the lake. There, they sat down. Chien Po said: "so, what'd you want to tell us?" Mulan said: "first of all, you must promise not to tell anyone my secret." Ling said: "I promise not to tell anyone." Yao said: "I promise not to tell anyone." Chien Po said: "I promise not to tell anyone. You can trust us." Mulan took a deep breath and said: "my name isn't Ping." Chien Po said: "really? What's your real name?" Mulan said: "my name is Mulan. I understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore. I'm a woman." Ling said: "we don't care if you're a man or a woman. You're still our friend. We'll still be your friends. We'll still treat you like Ping." Mulan said: "there's something else. My Father is on his way here. Shang thinks its best if I stay close to you guys." Yao said: "Captain Li is right. It's best if you stay close to us. We can hide you between the three of us." Ling said: "yeah." Mulan said: "thanks guys." The three soldiers nodded and stood up with Mulan. Mulan walked in between the three soldiers. They walked back into camp. When they arrived, they saw Fa Zhou standing there. Chien Po quickly moved Mulan behind him. Ling and Yao moved so they were shielding Mulan. Shang walked over to Fa Zhou and spoke to him. But Fa Zhou wasn't listening to Shang. Mulan knew that her Father wouldn't leave unless she spoke to him herself. Then she said: "gentlemen, let me handle this." The three soldiers parted, revealing Mulan. Mulan stepped forward. Shang motioned for her to stop. Mulan said: "no, Shang. I have to handle this myself. This is one battle I have to fight myself. Not you or my friends. Me. I believe I can handle this myself. I can't run from this." Fa Zhou said: "Mulan, please come home. You won't last very long here." Mulan said firmly: "No, Baba! It's you who won't last very long here! You were crippled in the previous war and have to walk with a cane! I can't let you go to war again and have you die in war! You taught me how to fight in my spare time! I can survive training! I'm not leaving! Think about how Mama and Meilin would feel if an imperial courier came to the door and told them that you were killed in war! They would be devastated! You fought for China once and almost died! I'm not going to let you die just to prove that you can bring honor to our family! You're not going to fight in another war just to prove that you can bring honor to our family! You can't even walk without a cane! You can't do it! You won't last a day without collapsing! I won't risk you dying!" Fa Zhou saw the resolute determination on her face and knew that it was fruitless to try to argue with her. He said: "then take this." He removed his half of the yin and yang necklace and handed it to her. Then he left. Then Mulan clasped the necklace around her neck. Shang said: "are you okay?" Mulan said: "yeah. I guess everyone knows my secret now." Then everyone clapped. She smiled. The troops accepted her despite her being a woman. Chien Po said: "looks like the troops accepted you despite you being a woman." Shang said: "since everyone knows, you might as well go by Mulan." Mulan said: "no. I will continue to go by the name of Ping." Shang said: "okay. You handled that well." Mulan said: "thanks. I just knew that he won't survive another war, let alone army training. He's stubborn, that's for sure." Shang said: "so are you." Mulan said: "my friends helped. They encouraged me and boosted my confidence. I know that I can handle training with my friends here beside me. When I say friends, that includes you." Shang said: "well, you definitely earned their respect." Then everyone set up their tents and bedrolls. Mulan was tired and removed her armor and went to bed and fell asleep immediately. Soon it was evening. Before going to bed, Shang poked his head into her tent to check on her. She was fast asleep. Shang smiled and went to bed himself. The next morning, Mulan woke up early and stood and ducked out of her tent and looked around. Everyone was still asleep! Mulan shrugged and walked around camp. Then Shang said from behind her: "I thought you'd still be asleep. Today is Saturday. We won't start training until Monday. I figured I'd give the troops time to settle in and get used to this." Mulan said: "I planned on going for a short walk and then go back to bed. I'm still kinda tired from the trip here. It's a miracle I didn't fall asleep on my feet yesterday." Shang said: "well, I heard you out here walking around camp and I figured I'd see what you were doing up at the crack of dawn." Mulan said: "was I that loud?" Shang said: "no, I'm just a light sleeper sometimes. Most of the time, not even a bear could wake me up. Or so I'm told. I honestly wouldn't know. So, mind if I walk with you?" Mulan said: "I don't mind at all. It's always nice walking with you." And so the two friends walked around camp for a while. Shang said: "I'm glad you found friends here. What was Yao, Ling, and Chien Po's reaction when they found out your secret?" Mulan said: "first of all, I made them promise not to tell anyone my secret. They promised not to tell anyone my secret. They chose to remain my friends despite me being a woman. When my Father showed up here yesterday, Chien Po quickly moved me behind him. Then Yao and Ling moved so they were shielding me. When I saw that my Father wasn't going to leave unless I spoke to him myself, I knew that that was one battle I had to fight myself. I knew that my Father won't last a day without collapsing. But me, I can handle training. He can't. Not anymore. Honestly, I hated having to pull the Mama and Meilin card on him. But it was the only way to get him to listen to me." Shang said: "yes, I saw the trio use themselves as a human shield to protect you. They're definitely loyal to you. Although, did you seriously have to tell me to back off? I'm your Commanding Officer." Mulan said: "unfortunately yes, I did. My Father wouldn't listen to you. I know you would try to protect me. But I had to face him myself." Shang said: "something tells me the troops will follow your lead." Mulan yawned. After a while they reached the tents and ducked into their tents and went back to bed and fell asleep immediately. Both were tired from the trip. They slept all day. So did the troops! They also slept all day on Sunday. Monday rolled around and they woke up feeling energized. Especially Mulan. They ducked out of their tents and ate breakfast and lined up. Shang grabbed his bow and an arrow and aimed for the top of the pole and fired. Shang said: "who's willing to climb up and retrieve the arrow?" Mulan stepped forward and said: "I will." Then Shang put the weights on her arms. Then Mulan walked over to the pole and slung the weights around the pole and climbed up the pole and reached the top and retrieved the arrow and tossed it down. Then she slid down, using the weights to slow her descent. Upon reaching the ground, Shang said: "Good job." Mulan nodded. This inspired the other troops. Shang looked on impressed as Mulan took the lead in training. With the support of her friends, she excelled. One day, Mulan was sitting by the lake when Shang came running. Mulan turned around and stood and said: "Shang, what's wrong?" Shang said: "it's my Father. I received word from him. I don't know what to do." Mulan thought fast and said firmly: "stay here. I'll take Yao, Ling, and Chien Po and see what's going on. We'll be back." Shang said: "thanks Mulan. I appreciate that you're doing this for me." Mulan said: "you're welcome. Well, I'd better round up the trio and mount up." Then Mulan walked back into camp and grabbed the trio and said: "guys, I need you to come with me. Shang received word from his Father and doesn't know what to do. I told him that we'd go see what's going on. We can do it. We made it this far. Now we have to face the battlefield. We must be prepared for what we find out." Ling said firmly: "we're with you all the way. We'll follow you into battle if you ask us to. Just say the word and we'll follow you. We all will." Mulan said: "thanks guys. Come on. Let's mount up." Then Yao, Ling, Chien Po, and Mulan mounted their horses and rode out of camp and rode to General Li's last known location. The four soldiers rode hard. They reached General Li's last known location and dismounted and looked around. The village was in ruins. Mulan said firmly: "spread out and search for survivors." They searched the area for survivors. Finding none, Mulan said: "it's a trap. It's too quiet. Ling, ride back and tell Shang that it's a trap! Yao, Chien Po, you too." Chien Po said firmly: "no! We're not leaving without you." Mulan said firmly: "you have to. Someone has to warn Shang before him and the rest of the troops come here. I'll be fine." Ling said: "guys, we all saw how she handled her Father. She's right. We have to warn Shang before lives are lost. We have to trust that Mulan knows what she's doing." Then the trio mounted up and rode back to camp and rode into camp. Shang saw them. He made his way over to the trio and said: "where's Mulan?" Ling said: "she told us to come back and warn you not to come to your Father's last known location. It's a trap. It was too quiet. We didn't want to leave without her, but she insisted." Shang said: "that sounds like her. I'm going after her." Ling said: "no. Don't. Wait and see if she comes back before you go after her." Shang hesitated. Then he sighed and said: "okay. I guess I'll have to trust that Mulan knows what she's doing." Suddenly Mulan rode into camp. Shang said: "and right on cue. Right when I said that, she rides into camp." The trio looked and saw Mulan on Khan. The four soldiers dismounted their horses. Mulan dismounted with ease. As if it came naturally to her. Yao said: "Mulan!" Mulan said: "it was a narrow escape out of there. A couple of Huns cornered me. Fortunately I was able to take them out. With my sword and hand to hand combat. I managed to knock Shan Yu for a loop big time. Let's just say he won't be attacking anyone anytime soon." Shang said: "okay, what the hell did you do?" Mulan shrugged. Shang chuckled and said: "you totally gave them hell, didn't you?" Mulan smirked and said: "in every sense of the word." Shang said: "talk about aggressive negotiations!" Mulan smirked and said: "hey, they asked for it. I just gave it to them good." Shang chuckled. And so they remained at the camp for a while longer. Shang and Mulan were often seen walking around the camp talking. Shang was starting to reevaluate his feelings towards Mulan. Mulan no longer wore her hair up in a ponytail. She wore her hair down. After a while, she dropped her "Ping" persona and just went by Mulan. The troops accepted her regardless of her gender. Mulan was very agile. She could carry two rods with sacks on both ends and run ahead of him and the troops. That was what made Mulan special. She was the first woman to defy the law and enlist in the imperial army. The troops admired that.
