The Council Chambers – One hour earlier
"I will accept, Lord Father," I said solemnly, voice stripped of warmth.
The room was silent. Ministers stared, the Lord Protector unmoving.
"But first," I added, "I want soldiers I can trust."
He stepped forward, his boots echoing on the lacquered stone.
"Speak."
"I want four thousand from the Golden Dragon Army," I said. "And eight thousand from the Black Tigers. The ones I led into Cao Wen."
A murmur stirred among the court.
He raised an eyebrow. "Twelve thousand only? When the South marches with forty?"
"I don't need more," I said.
There was something in me speaking now—not a voice, but a hunger. The thing that had watched me from dreams, from shadows. It curled inside my spine, smiling without lips.
"Give me what I asked for," I said. "And I will take back Bù Zhèng."
The Lord Protector nodded.
That evening – Southern Barracks, Capital Outskirts
Han Qing stood at attention as his new insignia was pinned: Lieutenant Commander.
His face betrayed nothing, but I saw it—the pride behind the silence. He had survived battles that broke better men. Now, he stood at my right hand.
Behind him, six veteran generals watched.
Three came from Wu Kang's remaining command. The other three bore Wu Jin's silent blessing. Each had their own reasons for marching under me: ambition, survival, hidden favors.
None of them trusted me.
But all feared failure more.
"If you falter," Shen Yue had whispered to me that morning, "Kang will take the south. Jin will take the capital. And Lianyu will take your head."
I had not replied.
Because I already knew.
Outside the Western Gate
Shen Yue rode beside me, dressed not in silk but in iron-dark robes. Her blade rested by her side. Her hair was tied in a soldier's knot.
She had chosen to march with me. Not out of duty. But out of necessity.
Liao Yun stood alone at the gate, one hand behind his back.
"The court will move while you're gone," he said.
"Let them."
He handed me a sealed scroll.
"Code reports. I will keep the city breathing."
"You will keep it watching," I corrected. "Let them fear the silence."
He nodded. "And when the southern gates fall?"
"Then send the ash to Wu Kang's door."
Later – Near the Stone March Pavilion
The delegation arrived just before twilight.
Twelve horses. Four carriages. And at the center, a pale green canopy embroidered with lilies.
Princess Lianyu stepped down in silence.
"The Southern Kingdom sends its ambassador," her retainer announced.
She wore no crown. Only a phoenix comb, jade glinting in the dusk.
"You ride with us?" I asked.
"To ensure you do not burn what we still wish to govern," she replied.
Her eyes met mine—cool, measured.
She was not here for diplomacy.
She was here to witness.
That night – Camp on the outskirts
The soldiers did not drink.
They sharpened weapons, checked formations, whispered rumors.
Some had marched with me in the north. Some had buried friends in frozen rivers. Others still remembered the prince who cut off a noble's tongue for disobeying an order.
They feared me. That was good.
Han Qing met me in my tent.
"The southern scouts have crossed Red Lantern Bridge. They will be here in days."
"How many?"
"More than us."
I studied the map. Then reached for the ink brush.
The names of our battalions. The paths to Bu Zheng. The villages caught in between.
"We won't fight them head-on," I said. "We bleed them."
Han Qing nodded. "We'll begin the misdirection."
At midnight
The spirit returned.
I saw it in the flickering oil lamp. In the black swirl of smoke.
It did not speak.
It only breathed through my chest.
I had not named it.
Because to name it was to serve it.
But tonight, I did not resist.
I let it in.
I shed the last part of myself that hesitated.
And with it, whatever warmth had lingered.
I was no longer the fourth-born prince.
I was no longer a son.
I was command.
Dawn – Marching South
Twelve thousand men moved beneath gray sky. No banners. No drums.
Only boots. Only steel.
Princess Lianyu rode behind me, her smile unreadable.
Shen Yue rode beside me, blade unsheathed.
Han Qing rode ahead, scouting.
And every man behind us?
Watched me.
Waiting to see if I would succeed.
Or if they would march beside a man already dead.
But I did not look back.
Because the fire had already begun.
And I had chosen to burn before them all.
So that from that fire, I alone could rise.