2.5

"Have you scouted out the village yet, Fu Junjie?" Shi Zixin asks as she sips on a flask of water.

The female soldier nods. Over the past couple weeks, Shi Zixin has noticed that Fu Junjie was a hard worker, so she had been serving as a right-hand-woman of sorts to Shi Zixin.

After all, she's the only person who won't betray me since I hold her life in my hands.

7 days ago, Shi Zixin's new brigade marched closer to the village through the valley and had camped in a narrow plateau at the base of the hilly village that still remained out of sight.

"Yes, the village seems to be larger than the estimates, sitting at about 1,000 people. It seems that over the past decade they've bounded closer together and have a sort of community of their own. I can still understand how they speak, but their accent is quite...strange," the girl comments as Shi Zixin nods.

"And where do they stand in relations with Shaolian?"

"Most wish for no conflict. The taxes are heavy upon them, as per most small towns, but many still support the crown because of the protection they receive," she responds. "I bet if you offer them cheaper protection,  we may be able to pass through peacefully and have them switch over to our side with no conflict."

Shi Zixin feels her brows cinch together.

'008...doesn't that seem a bit strange?'

'What?'

'This remote village is being taxed excessively for protection.'

'And...?'

'And it's in the middle of nowhere. I haven't seen anyone outside of our brigade cross over here.'

'...Now that you mention it, that is quite strange...'

Shi Zixin nods to herself. "I'll head out to the village today. Regardless of what happens, it's a win-win. If we pass through peacefully without any battles, it'll have been a good resting period for the soldiers to train up seriously. If we go to battle, then these men will see the gruesome reality of their situation."

Fu Junjie nods. "Of course. Shall I accompany you?"

"Sure," Shi Zixin replies. "I'll take out four others as well. We'll have three shadow guards tailing behind."

"I'll prepare that right away, Commander Shi."

At lunch, Shi Zixin rode out to the village, five others in tow. The shadow guards had already set out, preparing positions in the village.

When Shi Zixin and her group crossed over into the threshold, the bustling market of the market went quiet at the sight of the Jinzhou seal on the strangers' waist. The only sound that was echoing through the dry air was the ongoing chirping of the birds on the wooden roofs.

In fact, it seemed as if birds were everywhere in this village. There were nests in every nook and cranny for owls, sparrows, and crows, and the smell of chicken seemed to permanently waft through the air as well.

The people in this village were dully dressed compared to the beautiful colors of the birds. It was a mural sewage of browns, greys, and blacks that painted their clothes dull. The only splashes of white were the bird poop that littered the streets and roofs and the white puffs of air exhaled from pale lips, long cracked from the dry air.

The six continued to ride at a steady trot to the central palace of the governor.

Shi Zixin could see him from a distance, like a bright beacon in the dark. He was donned in colorful silks of vibrant yellows and reds with jade adorning him from head to toe. When Shi Zixin got closer, she could see that his lips were dipped in a ravishing red.

"Governor Pan, it's good to meet with you. I see you have gotten my letter," Shi Zixin states as Governor Pan shudders under the cool gaze of the commander.

Yes, Governor Pan had received a letter from a shadow guard this morning. It was dropped onto his dish, telling him that a high commander of Jinzhouan army would be coming for a small chat.

It also threatened his life if he contacted Shaolian, but that's not too important.

"Y-Yes, please, come inside."

Shi Zixin followed him inside, her soldiers trailing a few feet behind. "I'd like to thank you for this meeting," Shi Zixin says, staring forward. Up ahead, Shi Zixin could see soldiers guarding a pair of large doors.

"Of course. I'd like to thank you for not rampaging through the village," Governor Pan jokes awkwardly. He looks at his soldiers and gives them a slight wave. At the sight of the Governor, the two soldiers opened up the door, causing Shi Zixin to nearly gasp at the sight inside.

It was a large and lofty room, covered in ornate details of gold. Red wooden pillars were draped in silks of all colors, their colors slightly skewed by smoke drifting from incense sticks. It seemed as if Governor Pan really loved incense sticks, as it appeared almost every five feet.

If I stay in here too long, I'll surely get second-hand smoke!

Governor Pan walked his sausagey legs over to a throne, quickly sitting down on it and turning to look down at Shi Zixin. Somehow, it seemed as if his personality did a 180 the moment he sat on that throne.

Besides, this was quite insulting. From the corner of her eye, Shi Zixin could see that her soldiers had tensed up.

"I'd like to consider myself a... considerate man," Shi Zixin says, playing off of what Governor Pan had commented earlier. "Now, I know that this village should not be unfairly and unjustly subjected to the tyrants of the imperial Shaolian palace. I also know how this valley was once Jinzhou territory. On behalf of Jinzhou, I'd simply like to incorporate your territory back into Jinzhou and keep it safe with our soldiers until the war is over. It's that easy," Shi Zixin dumbs it down. for the man.

The piglike man merely leans his chin into the palm of his hand, resting his elbow on the golden throne.

Oh boy...I suspect something else is going on here.

"So you're not going to invade us?" Governor Pan asks. Shi Zixin gives a simple shrug of her shoulders. "I don't think I have to. You seem like an intelligent man."

Governor Pan flushes lightly at the compliment.

Shi Zixin's gaze darkens. "So you'll understand that this offer I'm giving you is extremely valuable--to both your wellbeing and the people's," she adds on.

Governor Pan nods, but it didn't seem as if the words got through to him.

"Listen, I'm going to be honest here," he starts with a dramatic sigh.

Oh no, that's never a good way to start a sentence!

"There hasn't been an official from the capital in years since none bother to make the journey. Taxes have got to go somewhere," he cockily laughs. "We're basically our own self-sustaining nation, not reliant at Shaolian at all. To the world, we're a nameless village in a far-away valley, but to us, we live like royals. This!" he pauses, gesturing around him, "is the greatness I have created. This is the country of Pan!"

He pauses before a sly grin creeps onto his face. "Of course, we don't need to have the others learn about this. How about you and your little boys just say we're under your control if you win the war, okay? I'll give you a small share of my riches for you to be quiet and if you win. It's certainly more than any commander can get."

Ah, so he wants to pull a 'Schroedinger's cat' on me. He's going to make his town both part of Jinzhou and not part of it at the same time...

Does he think I'm an idiot?!

Fu Junjie looked over at Shi Zixin to see how her commander was handling it, but all she saw was a calm expression on her leader's face. Fu Junjie glanced down at her own shaking fist, and quickly hid it behind her back.

"I understand that you clearly have a certain standard lifestyle to uphold," Shi Zixin nods, playing it to him. "I wouldn't mind having such a...beautiful lifestyle as you do."

Pan laughs lightly. "Who wouldn't?"

"However," Shi Zixin sighs. "We made such a long journey to your land and my people might starve. I seemed to have noticed that you have a little bird problem, do you not?"

Pan's face turns red in embarrassment and anger. "Even you noticed how ugly the streets are with the birds? Those flying monstrosities are everywhere!"

Hmm...so he doesn't like them...just as I expected. His is the only building in this entire village that doesn't have a single drop of bird poop on it. As gross as that sounds, any place with this many birds is bound to have it everywhere.

"I've heard that bird meat is quite tasty. Even if it's not, I still need food for my army. If you can get four birds from each household in the village, you'll be rid of all those dastardly birds for the next century and I'll have food for my soldiers.  I'll also guarantee that the war won't touch your...little country," Shi Zixin negotiates. "This is the most mutually beneficial offer for the both of us. And, if you do this for us, I won't take any of your riches."

Pan briefly considers it before nodding.

"It's a deal. You'll have all your birds in two days' time."

"Thank you," Shi Zixin bows and stands up. She leads her men away from the village and Fu Junjie catches up with Shi Zixin, a look of confusion on her face.

"Those men cheated us!" Fu Junjie points out, her face puffing up red. "We didn't get what we wanted. And even though they're pretty isolated, there's obviously still merchants who will spread how the Jinzhouan army was so easily outwitted! And what are we going to do with thousands of birds?!"

"Fu, if you weren't my right-hand man, I would punish you for talking back to me," Shi Zixin says coldly, continuing to stare forward as Fu Junjie loudly gulps.

I feel a bit bad for being so mean, but I have to remind these people that they're not my friends--they're my subordinates.

"Besides, we're going to have a party," Shi Zixin grins slyly. "Have you ever roasted your meal before? It's absolutely delicious."

Fu Junjie frowns. Maybe Shi Zixin wasn't as great of a general as she had thought.

=

Sure enough, in two days' time, there were about 100 men who brought over carriages and carriages of birds in cages. Shi Zixin thanked them and watched them ride back over the hills to their town. The cooes and the chirps and the hoots attracted the soldiers over to the spectacle in front of them. Thousands of birds stacked in wooden cages were in front of them, spanning a congo line well over 25 feet.

'What the hell is this?!'

'Is this seriously what we're going to be eating?! Sure, chicken is good to eat, but owl meat?!'

'I think I'm going to be sick...'

Soon, the 100 men who brought over the birds left, and Shi Zixin watched them go back over the hills before she rounded up her troops.

"MEN!" Shi Zixin shouts out, silencing the crowd. "We don't have a lot of time. Now, I have brought just enough material, so here is the plan."

Shi Zixin explained it to everyone and their eyes widened.

"Isn't that cruel?" someone calls out and Shi Zixin shakes her head.

"People will flee the city and have a choice to make. This is the best option, especially if we want to be taken seriously."

"Where'd you get all of the supply from?" someone else calls out as Shi Zixin smiles. "An acquaintance."

'We've been through a world together, Eman. I think we're more than acquaintances,' 008 comments in her head.

'I did waste 25 points on this, so I hope it's worth it,' Shi Zixin mutters in her head.

"Now, get to work!"

Quickly, the soldiers began tying cloth and sulfur against the birds' legs. Some of the birds tried to flee so the soldiers had to help each other hold down the birds.

An hour before dusk, the task had been successful, leaving the soldiers reeking of sulfur.

"I want a bath," someone mutters.

"Formation A, set out now!" Shi Zixin shouts out. 20 soldiers leave, heading towards the opposite side of the village. The other soldiers were preparing their horses to leave with metal shackles held in the satchels' pockets.

I thank the gods that Governor Pan thinks so lowly of us! He hadn't even bothered to send out a spy to see what we'd do...tch, he truly is an idiot! Maybe this'll do good for the village...

"Alright, men, we'll follow formation B. Fu Junjie, I want you to release the birds in 30 minutes exactly," Shi Zixin says and Fu Junjie nods.

"I won't let you down, Commander Shi."

Shi Zixin's group quickly mount their horses, cloaks discarded in favor of lighter clothing that wouldn't weigh them down. Even if they were chilly now, it would all be worth it in an hour from now. Shi Zixin's face settled into a serious expression as she rode closer to the hilly town under the cloak of night, slowing as they neared. Her men's breathing was labored, but they tried to slow their breathing.

In the distance, Shi Zixin began to hear the flapping of wings and a smile crept up her face. Then came the hoots and the chirps and the honks as each owl, sparrow, canary, pigeon, and everything in between soared overhead. Their shadows were barely visible against the night sky, making it impossible to see the cloth against their legs.

All the birds around them turned the dark blue sky black for a moment as everyone put their hands above their head, fearing the worst may happen. Nothing did, and after a moment they moved their hands back to their sides, hearts beginning to pound.

The birds dove into the wooden village, dropping down to their roosts.

The first to land back into their home was a small sparrow. The sulfur against their leg struck the wooden sticks and logs and poles, crackling against the dry air as a spark licked the first house. Then an owl struck the next house a block down, and so on and so forth.

Even if it was only one bird that managed to strike a spark, the whole town being made of wood would've been enough.

The sparrow's nest quickly caught aflame, settling into the wood of the house. This house made the cottage next door set ablaze; and like a contagion, soon the whole line of houses was on fire.

The soldiers waiting on the outskirts saw the sparks fly up into the sky as smoke swirled upwards with the sound of screams and cries for help. The flames had now consumed half the city. Shi Zixin's fingers twitched on the hilt of her sword.

The screams came closer.

"Now!" Shi Zixin shouts as her men rush past her. She tears her eyes aside as she hears cries as men, women, and children were shackled; torn away from their homes. She could smell singed flesh even from here. Shi Zixin bites the inside of her cheek, reminding herself that this was the best method she could've used.

Soon, the whole village was reduced to nothing except burning piles of wood; and in the morning, it'd be a smoldering pile of ash that'd slowly be blown away by the wind. Shi Zixin rode up to the edge of the village and lit a wooden torch she had stashed in her pouch before riding down to the prisoners. She dared not to bring the flame to close to their faces in fear of what she'd see.

"We return now!" Shi Zixin shouts over the crackle of the flames. Other soldiers shouted back the commands at the others further away.

She rode at the forefront, guiding her men back to the village. Many of the prisoners behind her refused to walk away and dragged their legs through the snow.

Shi Zixin wrung her lips in sadness before the mask of a general fell back into place.

No way she can show weakness now...

The people of the village were finally dragged before her back at the camp. Women and children were crying while their husbands tried to comfort them.

"You sick bastard!" A man shouts, running forward. Before Shi Zixin has the chance to react, Fu Junjie steps forward and quickly slashes the man's arm with her saber. He staggers back as Fu Junjie turns to Shi Zixin, panting heavily.

"General..." she trails off. "Are you alright?"

Shi Zixin nods, quelling their quickly-beating. "Fine."

Fu Junjie glances at the man once more before looking back at Shi Zixin.

'She knows what she needs to do,' 008 trails off as Shi Zixin's stomach clenches. With a simple nod and the swipe of the girl's sword, an example was made of a man who dared insult the General.

Shi Zixin heard cries of horror from the onlooking prisoners and she began to step away from Fu Junjie. Shi Zixin made her way closer to the lines of prisoners sitting in the snow. They quickly quieted, afraid of the large man before them that appeared like a rolling thunderstorm.

"Everyone's lives here..." Shi Zixin's eyes scan the crowd, "shall be spared."

A sigh of relief rippled through the crowd of hundreds, completely forgetting about the man who was just murdered. Suddenly, shrill screaming sounded from behind Shi Zixin. The general stepped aside the moment a familiar figure fell onto the snow, blood spitting outward from his mouth.

"At Pan's expense."

The valley was quiet save for the howling wind and the whimpers of the corrupt governor. Shi Zixin hadn't bothered to say that the other figures would have a private execution, but since Governor Pan was the figurehead in the town it was necessary for only him to die publically.

A lone figure rose slowly, looking up at Shi Zixin.

"If you kill him, kill me too. I stand with my ruler 'til death."

Soldiers rushed towards him, yet Shi Zixin held up a single hand and they stopped in their tracks, confused as to why Shi Zixin stopped them.

"Step forward."

The man hesitantly came forward and Shi Zixin got a good look at him. He was older, between 30 and 40, with a trim beard bound by a silver clip. He was still shivering in his thin cloth pajamas, but his eyes held a determined fire similar to the one burning in the distance.

"And why do you stand with a corrupt ruler? He overtaxed you and he stole your money while you shivered in the cold, eating only scraps of meat while he feasted," Shi Zixin questions calmly. The crowd remained silent, wondering how this man will respond."

"He was...is, and always will be, my leader. My loyalty shall not falter," he responds as Shi Zixin nods.

Hm, so they even regarded this corrupt man as an emperor. This is almost like Jonestown!

"Hm, I see. I understand the fault of my ways," Shi Zixin chuckles, shaking her head before looking back at the crowd. "I seemed to have misunderstood this whole situation! Please, if you will remain loyal to your leader until death, stand."

The crunching of snow indicated a few men stood up, about 40 in total.  Yet, no woman stood up.

"I would call for a round of applause, but everyone's fingers must be absolutely freezing," Shi Zixin sighs, a puff of cold air escaping thin lips. "But, I must vocally applaud everyone's loyalty!"

She pauses, a sly grin coming onto her face. "Save for...you aren't loyal at all, but the facade is almost quite convincing, I do say."

Everyone's eyes widened at this. What was this bastard talking about?!

A man in the back began to slowly sit down, but Shi Zixin's gaze fell upon him. "Keep standing, boy."

He froze in place before rising. Shi Zixin looked towards the crowd.

"How many of these men were husbands? Brothers? Sons? Fishermen? Traders? The breadwinners? A person of actual value to society?" Shi Zixin asks tauntingly. "And this is what you get as your fate? A man who would die a coward's death to escape and to leave their family behind? If a man's loyalty lies with a serpent such as Pan, how can he ever be trusted?"

Shi Zixin looks at the man who started it all. "Do you have a family?"

He gulped, no longer looking so confident. "I have a wife and two daughters."

"And what would happen when you're gone? Would they simply move on because you did it for loyalty? And leave them to the dogs like me?" Shi Zixin asks as he remained silent. She shortly exhales from her nose. "I see. Very well. You and the others may sit down now."

They all sigh in relief before rushing to sit back down. In the shadows, she could see he was hugged tightly by a figure in white.

Shi Zixin glances at Pan, who had lifted his head slightly to see the chaos that had emerged.

"Pan," she smiles sweetly at him as she stepped forward, boots crunching through the snow as she stepped closer. "Enjoy the afterlife, whether you end up in Heaven, Hell, or Elsewhere."

And with that, the bottom of Shi Zixin's boots crushed through something other than snow.

Everyone held in their gasp as they watched the General's boot remove itself from the harshly broken-in cranium and stepped aside, right foot bloodying the snow.

Screams of horror sounded through the camp as Shi Zixin glared down upon them.

"That will be all," she declares over the screams before stomping back to her tent, leaving the soldiers to take care of the prisoners.

Once out of sight, Shi Zixin ran to her tent, zig-zagging through others as bile crept up her throat. Quickly, she ran towards the edges and wretched up the last of her meal onto the snow, sobs of the captives covering up any sound. Slowly unbending her curved back, Shi Zixin wiped off the barf with the back of her mouth, quickly kicking snow on top of her mistake.

What have I become? A murderer?!

'You did what you had to do,' 008 comments from inside her head. 'You were just lucky nothing happened of this sort in your last run.'

'But I don't know where this...this idea came from inside me!' Shi Zixin shouts back inside her head, gripping tightly on her hair and tugging at her scalp. 'What am I even doing?! Did I even have to do this?! Why-'

'Just breathe,' 008 comments as Shi Zixin takes a ragged breath in, squatting down low as she tries to steady her breathing. She was so close to her boots that she could smell the blood-

'Just ignore the boots,' 008 mutters. 'You'll do fine, Eman. No need to worry. You've gone through worse-'

'I didn't try to kill them back then!' Shi Zixin responds as tears come to her eyes. 'So yeah, you're right it's different. I'm officially a psychopath-'

'Eman-'

"Commander Shi?"

Shi Zixin quickly turns to face her right-hand woman, Fu Junjie. The girl's brows lace in worry.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Of course," Shi Zixin responds as a mask of insincerity comes onto her face. "What is the situation?"

"Um, the designated troops will set out at dawn with the group while the others who aren't traveling will guard the prisoners."

"Alright," Shi Zixin nods. Fu Junjie extends her left hand to Shi Zixin, which Shi Zixin grabs ahold of and allows Fu Junjie to pull her up.

Fu Junjie glances down at Shi Zixin's calloused hands and notices a thin scar on Shi Zixin's ring finger.

"We're going to most likely shift camp," Shi Zixin informs, "so I'll need you to grab the head of the group guarding the prisoners and have them meet me in the lunch tent."

Fu Junjie nods, and with one last worried look, she scurries away. Shi Zixin pinches the bridge of her nose and looks out over the hill as the sun began to rise, ash still swirling about. There'd be no way to keep everyone here for another few days without having an asthma attack...

Shi Zixin quickly meets with the head of the guard group, Lu Winxie. He grouped half of the troops with him and promised to meet Shi Zixin at the next designated spot with supplies and news from the main base.

"And of the prisoners? What will we do with them?" he asks as Shi Zixin sighs.

"Luckily, we don't have a slave system in our country. We'll probably implement them in a farming village and hope for the best."

Shi Zixin's eyes suddenly light up with an idea. "I want you to take a slightly longer way back."

Lu's brows furrow. "Why?"

"Pass the outskirts of the Red City," Shi Zixin orders. Lu laughs. "But that's right by Shaolian territory!"

"Be about 2 miles off from there, arrive in the dead of night. Make sure that some of the merchants, women, and children can escape--but not all of them. Make sure no more than 1/4 of the group escapes," Shi Zixin says.

"But why?"

"We need the word to spread of how capable our army is, don't we?" Shi Zixin asks, causing Lu Winxie to pale.

"O-of course. I will ensure that happens."

"Good. Safe travels to you and the others," she says, before leaving him to his business. Lu Winxie and the original Group A round up the prisoners and begin riding back while Shi Zixin's group sets away from the valley.

Fu Junjie rides alongside Shi Zixin, watching her commander with cool eyes, only one thought in mind.

What will Commander Shi Zixin do next?

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