The Wolf and the Lily of the Valley

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

In the land of always winter, the bleak wind from the frozen mountains of Manchu wreaked havoc in the granary tents in which the Royal Army was barracked. The colossal mountain ridges that separate the lands of the feral cold from the richly populated and large peninsula of Anyang was where the battalion of three thousand men stayed for two nights until they had to go down as the cold proved too unfriendly for them. The mountain ridges stretched from the east where the Ocean of the Seven Storms ravage the rough cliffs of Khitan to the west of Anyang where its wetlands are nourished by the Sui River. Anyang lies just south of Manchu, where its erratic climate of mild temperatures brought by the breeze from the north and the sweltering heatwaves from the equatorial neighbouring kingdoms of Hanzhou, and Khitan, make it ideal for trade and commerce. It is where merchants settle for business as it was the melting pot of races and diversities. Its indiscrimination for immigration changed Anyang for the better—turned it into the most progressive kingdom of the four.

At the moment, while waiting for further orders from the Palace, the Crown Prince and his men set camp at the foot of the Manchu mountains where the weather was a little more non-hostile for their southern ways. Despite the tamer climate, the wind from the north still proved unbeatable. Soldiers went to look for materials to keep their tents standing and wood to burn for fire. Their supply for food was not endangered though as Anyang was just a few hundred miles away. The horses were sheltered in the woods where a temporary shed was built from oak.

That night, when the weather was calmer and a development in the investigation of the Zhang remnant was on its way, the Crown Prince threw a little feast. But the merriment was cut short when a messenger travelled from Hanzhou to the border bearing with him the Emperor's urgent message.

Guang Qi fell into his chair after reading the letter.

He told one of his soldiers, "Return to your tents and pack everything. At day break, we'll cross the borders."

The soldier answered, "But Your Royal Highness, the night is beginning to feel cold again. I believe another storm is heading our way." Even the grandest tent in the camp felt the violence of the brewing storm. A few of the Crown Prince's furniture wobbled from its places as the raging wind howled about the walls of the tent. His heavy armoury of iron, leather and bronze sat still next to his bed space, the only thing left untouched by this night's phantasm. It looked majestic, befitting for someone of his status.

"Princess Meiying has been abducted by the Zhang remnant, which means we have to find all the means to brave the storm to get to Manchu."

"With due respect, Your Royal Highness, I do not think our men will be able to withstand the fury of the mountains. And if we manage to get through, the Manchu army is waiting for us at the other end of the border, all armed and ready to attack,"

Crown Prince Guang Qi gritted his teeth. His hand grasped the Emperor's letter too tightly that he almost teared it into pieces.

"What do you think I should do? Disobey the Emperor for the sake of three thousand men? I'll find myself hanged before the very eyes of the people of Hanzhou before I could see myself sitting on the throne!"

"Forgive me, your Royal Highness," shamefully, the soldier said as he dipped his head.

But Guang Qi understood the repercussions of travelling across the border, and with the enemy at hand. He'll face death in the hands of the barbaric Manchus before he could call himself King of Hanzhou. However, it is Princess Meiying, the Emperor's precious gem of a daughter, whom at all costs must be rescued from the hands of the evil Zhang Prince.