Back then, I didn’t appreciate the scale and the reach of the Tionghoa Empire. Our war for independence was in many ways a sideshow for the Dragon Emperor. That was why the Tionghoa readily sued for peace after the surrender of Khmer. What the Tionghoa wanted from Santara was resources: fruits, spices, and so on. A war, especially an archipelago-wide like ours, was bad for Imperial coffers. The Dragon Emperor was more than happy to grant us bits of independence so long as he could keep the Tionghoa Southern Holdings.

As for the Padri, Khmer had really tested us; we were not keen to keep the fight going. And as it turned out, the Tionghoa was more than capable of doing so. In response to the Padri War, the Tionghoa had shipped troops from Tionghoa itself. At the time of the Siege of Khmer, they were making their way to Hulao, a port town at the southernmost tip of the Northern Continent.

Before the Siege of Khmer, Kochba and even Lord Aron would have been more than willing to keep fighting, but we lost a lot of men taking the colonial capital. Before the Siege of Khmer, the Padri must have thought themselves to be invincible with the Isildur on their side, but even the Sacred Sword had its limits.

Thus, both sides were more than happy to enter negotiations. This process lasted some time owing to the distance between Tionghoa-proper and the Santara Archipelago, but it did go off without an incident. The resulting terms were very favorable for us, especially for the Sultanate of Paloe.

Firstly, the Tionghoa agreed to grant the eastern kingdoms of Santara (that being the Kingdom of Dun-a-din, the Sultanate of Paloe, the Commonwealth of Puncak, and the Despotate of Leste) full independence.

Secondly, the Tionghoa agreed cede most of the Kaliman island to the Padri, including the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Given the location our newly won territories, the Sultanate of Paloe took responsibility for them.

Finally, we agreed to give back all of the other territories we had won during the war, including Bandar and Khmer.

All this meant that Western Santara (other than the Kaliman island) was returned to the Tionghoa Southern Holdings. At first, Kochba did not like this, having wished for us to reclaim the entirety of Santara. And to be honest, I sympathized with the Sultan. It felt wrong not to finish off the enemy when we had the chance.

Thankfully, it was Lord Aron who had the final say. And the King saw reason. When the Peace of Khatulistiwa was finally signed, we breathed a sigh of relief. Even Kochba, who had talked of “driving the Tionghoa out, every last bit of their blood”, was happy to return to Paloe and rebuild.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Thus ends the Padri War, right?

“Wrong!” That was what Livia told me soon after the peace treaty was signed. “Do you ever stop to think how the war ever started to begin with?”

“The Tionghoa pushed the Yakobinians too far, so they fought,” I said. “Right?”

In response, Livia chuckled. “Don’t be naïve! The timing of it all, your appearance, surely this was not a coincidence.”

“I… don’t follow.”

“You are a gifted tactician, Yuanxi,” Livia began, exasperated. “But you are absolutely hopeless in politics!”

“Let me guess,” I said sarcastically, “the Nodians are behind it all.”

“Yes!” she snapped. “Before Sultan Kochba launched his revolt in Mocasar, the Tionghoa had been garrisoning more soldiers into the city. More importantly, they put Sultan Simon, Kochba’s father, to death by throwing him off the Mocasar Gallows. That was the final straw that led to the Padri War. But the only reason they did it was because of a slew of killings, killings of Tionghoa residents and even officials. These murders remained unresolved, and the Governor General believed they were a conspiracy by Simon. But I believe…”

“Slow down, Livia! I know where you’re going with this. But it raises the question, why would the Nodians do all this?”

Livia’s face was sheepish. “That’s the thing, I don’t know. But that’s why we can’t let our guard down. Who knows what the Nodians are up to?”

At this point, I was looking for a way out of this conversation. At the moment, we were at the Port of Khatulistiwa. From a distance I saw Drusus gazing upon the sea. My mind hatched an idea.

“Fine, you win. But what now?” I asked.

“W-what do you mean ‘what now?’” said Livia incredulously. “We keep an eye on them.”

“I mean what do you do in the meantime,” I clarified. “I have a feeling our fight against the Nodians will be a long one.” As I was saying my spiel, I kept looking at Drusus, who was none the wiser.

Livia traced my light of sight. Once she caught on to my implications, her face grew red; the blush was even pronounced by her pale Nodian skin. “Now is not the time for this!”

“On the contrary, this is as best of a time as any. The war’s over.”

“Against the Tionghoa, yes. But not against the Nodians.”

“And do you think this war will be resolved as quickly as the last one?”

Livia was deep in thought. She said nothing, but her silence spoke louder than words. And so, I grabbed her by the shoulders, then gently pushed her in Drusus’ direction. The Nodian girl gave me the stink eye, but nonetheless she complied.

Just for clarification, I didn’t do what I did for selfish reasons (not purely, anyways). I knew from the start that Drusus and Livia, especially Drusus, held feelings for one another. Unfortunately, the warrior without equal was the kind of man who never prioritized his own happiness, too busy he was with serving Lord Aron. And Livia was always in her own world, always tied up in whatever scenario she would concoct in her head. Left to their own devices, both of them would die unmarried and childless.

Perhaps not Drusus; as the Despot of Leste, he would eventually have to take a wife out of duty if nothing else. But certainly Livia, who had no such social expectation. Also, she’s a Nodian, a people notorious for their lack of fecundity.

Someone was needed to get those two together, and that someone was me.