To Where the Tides Ebb And Flow

The Next Move

The decision to align with Xavier and Rafayel as rebels in the distant kingdom of Philos was not one Li Shen had come to easily. It had been a slow, calculated process—one born from years of watching the rot of corruption fester in his own kingdom and realizing that change could never come from within the existing system. The Eastern Province, his homeland, was as much a battlefield as the ones he'd conquered, though the enemy here was more insidious: greed, decay, and cowardice.

Li Shen had long served the corrupt monarchy out of duty, out of loyalty to the kingdom he was born into. But over time, as he rose through the ranks of military power, he became increasingly disillusioned with the cowardly court he protected. They bled the people dry with taxes to fund their indulgent lives, sacrificing the nation's future for personal gain. And the king, weak and easily manipulated, let it happen.

For years, Li Shen had been a silent witness to the suffering of the people he swore to protect. He carried the weight of those injustices like a second skin—every child starving in the streets, every soldier's life wasted for the whims of bloated nobles, every family left to fend for themselves while the court danced and drank. The ideals of justice and honor, which had once guided him, became hollow echoes of a younger man's beliefs.

The turning point came when he received a letter from a faraway land—Philos. It was an appeal, sent in secret by Xavier, the exiled prince. The message had been simple: they were building a rebellion against the imperial forces that had corrupted their kingdom, and they needed allies—people of power, people who could lead armies. At first, Li Shen had considered the idea foolish. A rebellion against an empire? It sounded like the dream of a naïve prince chasing a lost crown. But curiosity, and perhaps a latent hope for something better, had driven him to learn more.

And so, quietly and with great discretion, Li Shen had begun to exchange messages with the rebellion. What he learned from Xavier and Duke Rafayel had shaken him to his core. These were not idealists hoping to topple a throne on a whim. They were men of action, much like him—willing to sacrifice everything to overthrow a corrupt order and create something better. They had seen their people suffer, just as Li Shen had, and they had reached the same conclusion: the system could not be reformed. It had to be destroyed.

It was Xavier's vision of Philos, a kingdom born from rebellion, that struck a chord in Li Shen. The prince wasn't merely trying to reclaim a lost kingdom for personal gain. He sought to build something new, something that would not repeat the mistakes of the past. He wanted justice, true justice for the people, and that resonated deeply with the disillusioned general from the East.

But it was Rafayel who ultimately won Li Shen over. Rafayel's cunning, his mastery of subterfuge, and his willingness to embrace the shadows for a greater cause reminded Li Shen of himself. Unlike Xavier, who still clung to some ideals of nobility, Rafayel understood the game of power at its rawest. He understood that rebellion was not just about ideals—it was about survival, about outwitting enemies and striking when they least expected it.

Li Shen began to engage in discreet correspondences, carefully evaluating the integrity and resolve of these distant allies. Through their exchanges, he learned of their meticulous planning, their strategies, and their commitment to justice. What struck Li Shen most was their shared conviction: the belief that true change required more than just reform—it required the dismantling of the corrupt structures that perpetuated inequality and suffering.

The more Li Shen engaged with Xavier and Rafayel, the more he saw a reflection of his own frustrations in their cause. Their rebellion was not a reckless uprising; it was a calculated effort to rebuild from the ashes of a decayed system. It became clear to Li Shen that their struggle could serve as both a model and a catalyst for his own ambitions.

He realized that the time for waiting and hoping for reform within his own kingdom was over. The monarchy and its corrupt officials had created a system so entrenched in self-interest that it could no longer be salvaged through conventional means. The corruption that plagued his homeland was a direct threat to the stability of Qinghe, and it demanded drastic measures.

Li Shen began to lay the groundwork for his own coup. His position as war commander afforded him significant leverage, and he used it to subtly shift the balance of power within the military. He ensured that loyal officers were placed in key positions, prepared to support his cause when the time came. Secret meetings were held, alliances were forged, and plans were meticulously crafted.

In the shadows of Philos, alongside these rebels, Li Shen had begun to plot his own rebellion. It would be no grand, public declaration of war. He knew better than that. His coup would be swift and silent, like a knife in the dark. It would be precise, aimed at the heart of the corrupt court that had strangled the life from his people. His power lay in his military strength, and his soldiers were loyal to him, not to the throne. They, too, had grown tired of fighting for a kingdom that did not care for them.

Over time, Li Shen had quietly shifted his forces, positioning them in key strongholds across Qinghe. He had placed trusted men in critical positions, men who understood that this was more than a mere power grab. This was a revolution waiting to happen.

But he would not move too soon. Timing was everything. His participation in the rebellion in Philos was as much about learning as it was about aiding Xavier and Rafayel. He would see how they succeeded, how they built alliances, how they tore down an empire. And when the time came, he would return to his homeland, ready to ignite the spark of his own rebellion.

As Li Shen stood with the rebels in Philos, watching them prepare for the next phase of their uprising, he felt a grim sense of purpose settle over him. This was the path he had chosen—a path of blood, of sacrifice, of destruction. But it was also a path that would lead to something better, something worth fighting for.

And as his thoughts flickered to Zi Xuan, to the future he had once dreamed of with her, he knew that he could not let this corrupt world take that future away. Not from him. Not from her. Not from anyone.

The coup was coming. And when it did, Li Shen would be ready.