The boy emperor's declaration left the people inside the tent feeling stifled. Soon, however, they felt their blood ignite with blazing passion as righteous fury and cause filled them.
"Not even the Heavenly Emperor himself! Well said! Very well said!"
"Duke of Auberville? Does a mere Duke think that he can pry our home away from our hands!? Who does he think he is!?"
"Your Royal Eminence! This servant volunteers himself to claim the head of the traitorous duke!"
"Traitorous duke! Ha-ha! First, the younger brother runs away with his tail tucked between his legs. Next, the older brother will find himself lapping the ground like the dog that he is!"
Righteous shouts and screams filled the tent as each person took turns pledging their loyalty to the boy emperor whilst simultaneously insulting the Duke of Auberville.
Alexandros did not pay much mind to their shouts and sat in place. His eyes were trained on the map sprawled on the table as he sought for the quickest route back.
"Three weeks," said General Arlo suddenly. Seeing the boy emperor's gaze turn towards him in confusion, the old general explained. "The fastest route back to the capital city will take us three weeks, your royal eminence. That is if we do stop to rest the horses."
"Resting the horses is the last thing in Our mind, General Arlo," replied the boy emperor. "Is there truly no quicker way back?"
The Duke of Auberville and his younger brother, Ferdinand, were both backed by the Central Commonwealth. It went without saying that whatever devices Ferdinand had possessed, the Auberville Duke must also possess the same, if not better devices!
The capital city, Caroxtel, can hold on with no problems against the might of men. However, when the contraptions of the devil are brought into play, Alexandros was uncertain about how long the gates will manage to last. In the best-case scenario, the gates will manage to last for three to four weeks. In the worst-case scenario, the gates will collapse in one to two weeks.
No matter which scenario it was, the empire's army would not be able to return on time. No matter what, a bloodbath and slaughter-fest awaited the army.
Alexandros wanted to avoid such a situation at all costs. And the method of doing so was to return to the capital city as early as possible.
"Your Royal Eminence," General Arlo sighed. "This servant understands the worries in your mind. However, we are limited by our transport and the distance between the two points." He pointed at the map.
"Even if we were to ride day and night, it would still take us two full weeks to reach the city! We are simply that far away from the capital."
Alexandros bit the corners of his lips. A sense of helplessness and loathing began filling his heart. A small voice quietly spoke to him from a corner of his mind.
'Look! This is where your greed has brought you! Look closely! Look at how you're about to lose your home!'
'Didn't you say that you hated war? How it was meaningless? How it claimed lives when it had no right to? How it brought out the worst in each person? Ha! What a hypocrite! Aren't you the same!?'
'In a bid to chase after higher accomplishments, you warred again and again! And look what it has cost you now! Look carefully!!'
The voices grew louder and more layered with each second. Each echo brought Alexandros closer and closer to the oblivion inside his heart.
Just as he was about to fall into greater depression, a voice interrupted the boy emperor's thoughts.
"V-Venerable Em-Emperor!" Pedro fearfully called out. His scared voice instantly brought him the attention of every single person inside the tent. Trembling at the unwanted attention, the young stable hand quaveringly spoke. "T-this one st-still has something t-to say."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Taking a few breaths to calm himself, he said, "S-Sir Wuzhi asked me to share with the venerable emperor 'a sentence' should he choose to return to the capital city."
Alexandros felt surprised at his words. He immediately asked, "What is it? What words did he ask you to pass on to Us?
Staring directly into the boy emperor's eyes, Pedro answered.
"At the river, you will find a friend."
---
A few hours later.
"General Arlo, how much farther is it?" asked Alexandros.
"We are almost there, your royal eminence. We are almost there," replied the older man. Wearing a mask of unabashed hesitation, General Arlo gently pried at the emperor. "Venerable Emperor, please forgive this servant for asking this but… is it really wise to place all our trust into the words of a tutor?"
"Why, General Arlo, do you think that Our tutor is lying to Us?" A hint of iciness coated the boy emperor's words.
"Not at all, your royal eminence! This servant did not intend such a thing at all! Please forgive this servant for speaking such incorrect words," General Arlo immediately apologized upon recognising the coldness on the boy emperor's face.
"We shall accept our apology. But let this be Our final warning to you," Alexandros severely continued. "We shall not tolerate any sort of insult towards our esteemed teacher! In your eyes, he might simply be the Imperial Tutor. But in Ours, he is Our saviour!"
In these past months of the military campaign, Alexandros had come to recognize the priceless nature of Wuzhi's teachings. His appreciation and respect for his teacher increased boundlessly as the boy emperor employed more and more of his lessons in the field.
With his most esteemed father dead and his most loved sister currently missing –her whereabouts unknown— the only people whom Alexandros could lovingly refer to as his family were his uncle, Regent Rodriguez, and his teacher, Wuzhi.
Indeed, the young scholar's place within the boy emperor's heart was something akin to an admirable older brother. Wuzhi was the subject of the boy emperor's admiration and worship.
The boy emperor's severe warning left the old general, and several of the other army officers, quaking in their boots while a cold sweat swept down their backs. The latter group inwardly thanked their fortune for not jumping the gun and asking the question in place of the old general. For while the old general might have been let off with a warning, their own ends might not have been so simple.
A dismissal and thirty lashings as punishment would have been considered lenient!
Currently, Alexandros and his army of five thousand troops waded through the dense Southern Forests of the South Aislan Continent. Their destination? The largest river that cut across the entire continent!
The Syphyll River was the continent's oldest and largest river. It originated from somewhere within the Cloud's Break Mountain Ranges and flowed across the entirety of the South Aislan Continent, stretching a massive 7000km in length!
Syphyll River was also called the 'Life Vein of the South Aislan Continent.'
Wuzhi's Tip, while cryptic in nature, was exceedingly apparent to anybody with common knowledge. Whenever someone referred to a 'river' in the South Aislan Continent, nine out of ten times they referred to the Syphyll River. Thus, Alexandros' decision was simple; the army would head towards the nearest tributary to meet this 'friend.'
To tell the truth, Alexandros had no idea who this 'friend' was and how they would help them in their current quarry. However, the boy emperor chose to unhesitatingly trust his teacher/saviour and forced the army to march according to his directions.
Had Alexandros tried to implement such a forceful decision two months ago, not a single person within the empire's army would have paid heed to him. However, over these past two months of the campaign, Alexandros had established himself as a true and proper emperor!
No longer was he a young boy desperately clinging to an empty title. He was now a great man whose every action and word held great prestige and weight.
After the party of five thousand cut through another patch of overgrown foliage, they found themselves greeted by a sudden circular clearing. A vast expanse of silverish-blue waters greeted the party, its body ebbing and flowing with leisurely ease. Tall trees opened out to expose the endless sky as day rapidly gave way for the night.
Though the vivid scenery was endlessly fascinating on its own, the subject that drew the attention of the party members wasn't the natural beauty but the hulking constructs of steam and steel that floated atop the tributary.
Steamboats. A dozen steamboats greeted the empire's army!
"What in heaven's name—!!?" General Arlo exclaimed, mouth agape. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to see such a sight!
The old general's exclamation had caused the rest of the soldiers to fall out of their daze. Immediately, they circled around the general and the emperor and assumed a protective formation for unlike the officers, they hadn't been informed of their objective in coming to the tributary. For all they knew, the steamboats could be a trap set by the enemy!
Just as the men at the very front of the formation levelled their barrels against the unknown group of sailors, the other group, also having noticed the army's entry into the clearing, quickly made a show of peace and raised their arms. A few seconds later, the crowd of sailors parted and arrived from within a certain, pot-bellied man.
Walking up to the front of the empire's army, he nervously asked, "M-My name is Captain Rorum Mandos. A-are you boys the South Aislan Empire's men?"
At his question, Alexandros made an appearance and said, "That we are. Are you the 'friend' mentioned by my teacher, Wuzhi?"
The utterance of a familiar name instantly caused the tension to be drained away from Captain Rorum's body. A full smile appeared on his bearded face as he replied.
"Aye."