Past Promises

THE GENERAL (PART II)

Rival Once Again.

I come closer to the King, "Second Grandson, I don't like that Royal Advisor. Why did you appoint him? He's trying to wedge war between you and your brother. Expel him," I complain.

The King sighs as if he's thinking the same thing as me. The Royal Advisor is truly an unlikable person but his qualifications exceed every man in this nation. I'm sure the King considers his qualifications more than his personality.

I just wish the King doesn't take into consideration of what the Royal Advisor said about the General.

***

A few days later, during the weekly assembly an informant from the North Border comes and asks permission to meet the King.

"Call him in," the King says to Eunuch Moon. The King dismisses the Ministers as he knows some of the Minister dislikes any news regarding the General, any progress he made will make them suspicious.

The informant greets the King. "Your humble servant greets you, Your Majesty."

"Rise. What's the news?" The King enquire.

"Your Majesty, I bring a good news for you," his face brightens. "Our soldiers had won the battle against the Ming! It's all thanks to General Lee's strategies."

"It's indeed a good news!" The King smiles widely. "Tell me more on the General's strategies that brings us victory!"

I sit on the steps, waiting for the informant to share the story of my grandson's first battle experience.

"The General knew that the Ming was only exaggerating about their numbers to make us scared but the General told us to let the Ming think that we really were scared. He sent an informant into the Ming's soldiers camps to spread rumours that our soldiers were afraid so that the Mings will become more arrogant." The informant smirks.

"The night before the battle, their Commander sent an observer to observe our camps and the observer returned with a bright face. He reported to the Commander that our camps looked deserted. Only few tents had lights and others were dark, sign of no people inside. Only few campfires were burning, sign of only few people needed heat. Since it's still snowing in the North and it was indeed very cold, the observer believed our deception. The camp was so quiet that he believed most of the soldiers had indeed deserted. He calculated our numbers to be less than theirs.

"It was actually the General's ideas. He ordered us to tear down some tents and put off the lights on few other tents so that they think some of us indeed had ran away due to being scared. Then the General told us to make only few campfires and made us wore thick coats so that we wouldn't be froze to death since he asked us to take turn to sit in front of the campfires and made a little noise as possible. Like what the General had predicted, we managed to deceive them."

The King laughs, "As expected from Older Brother, he's such a trickster. Continue."

"On the day of the battle, we could see the arrogance of the Mings as they're few meters away from the border. The Commander and General Lee met at the center and he made a proposal to the General."

"What is it?" The King's body moves forward as he asks, curious.

"It's an irrelevant information, Your Majesty. The Mings were being arrogant."

The King becomes more curious, "Are you trying to withhold something from your King? Spill it."

The informant drops to his knees, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. The Commander knew that the General is the First Prince and he offered him his full assistance if he wishes to become a King."

"Absurd!" The King stands from the throne and strides down towards the informant. He stops a meter away. The informant bows lower as the King's standing in front of him. "What was the General's reply to this?"

The informant lifts his head a little and says, "The General did not reply, Your Majesty. He came back to his line and told us to ready to fight and I heard the Commander's arrogant remarks as he saw our small numbers. But he didn't know that our soldiers had already surrounded them and they broke their formations when being ambushed. The Commander had fled and eventually their soldiers fall back."

The King looks uninterested for the rest of the story. There is something in his mind instead and I know what it is.

The thought of the General being his rival surfaces again, his face shows insecurity.

"My Grandson, there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure the General didn't take into consideration of that offer."

He dismisses the informant and asks him to relay his congratulatory message to the soldiers and he is proud of their achievements.

The King sits on the throne and lean back on the chair. He closes his eyes and sighs, "Brother."