“I don’t know why we have to attend these meetings anyways,” Chen Rui muttered as they walked. “The old bastard never shares anything of value, it’s always the same old bullshit.”
Mo Chen shook his head at his friend, looking amused despite his attempt to appear serious.
“He’s not so bad.” Mo Chen said loyally, but he rubbed his earlobe as he spoke, a tic he’d had since childhood, and Yu Chen knew he didn’t believe what he was saying.
Chen Rui looked at him incredulously. “He’s not so, - Who’s not so bad? He doesn’t even bother to give us proper orders. Last time he didn’t even bother to greet us. He just waved us away as soon as we entered the tent. All he said was, you know what to do.” Chen Rui said with a snort.
Mo Chen sighed, shaking his head, but he didn’t say anything, pretending to ignore Chen Rui as he continued speaking.
“He’s right, I do know what to do.” Chen Rui muttered rebelliously, speaking to himself as he stared towards the sky. “I should be the one giving him orders.”
Yu Chen stayed quiet as he walked alongside them, listening as they bickered back and forth as they made their way towards the Commander’s tent. The streets they walked down were kept clear, wide enough for two wagons to pass side by side. The general at least ensured the camp was kept organized. He demanded the tents be arranged in neat patterns, each a set distance from the next.
He ran a tight camp, something Yu Chen was thankful for, as the commander had never bothered. For the most part mustered troops served under whatever local lords ruled over the land they lived in, and they were no different. The brothers served in one of several companies fielded by the Tiexue clan, and they were currently under the command of one of lord’s nephews.
The man hated the role, despite the prestige it brought him. He left the troops to their own devices more often than not, preferring to pretend he was still in one of his family's palaces, enjoying a decadent lifestyle.
Before long they’d arrived outside the large command tent, easily ten times the size of the one Yu Chen shared with his brother. It was located at a busy intersection, and there were plenty of people milling around the outside of the tent, occasionally entering or leaving.
Chen Rui ceased his grumbling as they arrived, quieting down. Mo Chen approached the tent, lifting the flap to enter, but paused as the sound of loud shouting poured out from within.
“Find some, I don’t care what it costs! Turn the whole damn camp upside down if you have to, or send someone off to search for it, but don’t come back until you have it!”
Yu Chen stepped out of the way as a harassed looking man in an ill-fitting uniform ran out of the tent, the loud, angry shouts whipping at his back. He was mopping the sweat from his face with a white silk handkerchief, and Yu Chen could hear him muttering under his breath as he ran out.
“Red wine, and the proper vintage, he says, as if these hillbillies possess any for me to buy. I’ll have to visit Lord Cangxuan’s steward, I heard the man recently received a delivery.”
Yu Chen shook his head in amusement as he watched the man disappear into the distance, before turning and following the other two into the tent. Somehow, despite the uniform, he doubted the man had ever stepped foot on a battlefield.
Mo Chen and Chen Rui had ignored the scene entirely, well used to the Commander’s behavior, approaching the large table that filled the middle of the tent after they entered. Yu Chen didn’t follow them over there, splitting off to join the other miscellaneous retainers who crowded around the edges of the tent.
He found a spot beside two men he knew well, making himself comfortable as he watched the proceedings.
The commander filled the room with his presence as he leaned over the large table, using it to brace his considerable girth. He was glowering around the room, and his angry eyes landed on Mo Chen as the two approached. Yu Chen couldn’t help but notice his rosy cheeks, already red from drink, despite the early hour.
“Took you long enough boy. I was about to send someone after you.” He said, turning his ire towards his brother.
Mo Chen paused, giving a short bow, perfectly textbook as he clasped his hands in front of the commander. “Apologies my lord. It won’t happen again.”
Yu Chen couldn’t help but notice that there were only two other squad leaders present, the rest having not yet arrived, and he couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the large man’s antics.
The commander grunted, pushing himself up from the table and turning away, walking towards a desk that was situated in the back corner of the tent. His wide back was turned towards them as he picked up an ornate wine glass and took a long drink, before letting out a sigh of relief. Satisfied, he turned around, looking towards the rest of the room as he held his cup out, not paying attention to the servant who hurried ran over to refill it.
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“It’s a fight today.” He said shortly, before moving his large body back towards the table, stabbing a fat finger towards the map positioned atop it. He took another long gulp before waving his cup around, gesticulating as he spoke.
“Those bastards from Hunyuan have been gathering on this hill over here.” He said, pressing his finger into the map before picking up a tiny figurine with a grunt, dangling it in the air. “The general expects you all to be ready in a few hours. He’s planning an assault on that position.”
Chen Rui let out a small groan, just loud enough for the commander to hear. The large man looked up, giving the squad leader a sweetly sick smile. “You don’t like the sound of it eh? You’ll like it even less when you hear the rest. Scouts report a large cavalry detachment in the area, and they’ve sighted a complement of Spitters as well. Dragon’s breath, by the looks of it.”
His smile widened as he eyed the young man’s look of dismay. “Have fun.”
Yu Chen paled as he heard the words, and a low murmur spread through the room as the mood suddenly plummeted. The commander looked around at them, snorting in disdain before taking another swallow of wine.
No soldier liked to hear they’d be facing Spitters. It was a slang term the soldiers had created for the variety of deadly anti-personnel weapons fielded by the enemy. Their presence always signified a bloody battle.
Dragon’s Breath was among the worst of them all, a violent tool that flung out sparks in a wide arc, showering men in hot streaks of molten metal that blinded, burned, and disoriented, causing massive casualties wherever they were fielded.
Morale in the camp would collapse if the news spread, and it would become nearly impossible to force the men to charge into the deadly fire. No doubt the general had desired to keep the news under wraps. Unfortunately, the commander could care less, ruining carefully laid plans for a brief moment of cruelty.
A tale always grew in the telling, and it wouldn’t take more than a few hours before a miasma of despair descended to smother the camp.
Yu Chen was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of the tent opening. He turned, watching as a uniformed man strode in, walking up to the commander and whispering something in his ear. A lecherous grin spread across the large man’s face as he listened to the other man.
The commander tipped his cup back, drinking thirstly, and Yu Chen watched as his cheeks grew redder. Finished, he slammed it onto the table with a hard thump before addressing the room.
“Yes, well, some things have come up so I must take my leave. You all know what to do, so get to it. And don’t embarrass me. If the general is unhappy, I’ll have your heads!”
He paused after speaking, before walking around the table to address Mo Chen, shoving a fat finger into his chest before speaking. “Explain the situation to the other’s when they arrive, boy, and don’t be late again.”
Mo Chen bowed to the man’s back as he walked out of the tent, his uniformed toady following along by his side. It was a long moment before he raised back up, his face clear of emotion, giving no hint towards his own thoughts.
The atmosphere in the tent changed once the commander left the room, a sense of relief running through the assembled men as they broke into worried chatter, talking amongst themselves.
Everyone was more comfortable now that he was out of sight. The commander was like a force of nature, a natural disaster that brought no blessings, and the best thing you could hope for was that he’d blow past you without delivering a calamity.
Mo Chen had leaned over, gripping the table tightly as he looked down at the map. Yu Chen approached him now that the commander was gone, walking up to stand beside him before putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
The others in the room might be happy that the man had left, but Yu Chen knew his brother took his responsibilities seriously and felt the additional stress the commander heaped upon him by shirking his own duties. It was a heavy weight on his shoulders, and he found it hard to bear.
He looked down at the map his brother was staring at, examining the little figurines placed across it. Drawn lines covered the map, denoting borders, with small markings signifying the towns and villages that lay nearby. Notable features, such as trees, hills, and rivers were also notated.
The Tianyun Empire stretched across two thirds of the map, starting from the bottom left corner. It was bordered by the Hanyuan Empire to the north, while a large river bordered the right side of the map.
Yu Chen felt something strange at the sight of that river, but he couldn’t say why. Frowning, he shook off the feeling, looking at the small figurines placed atop the map that showed the positions of the various armies.
The empire possessed dozens of battalions, and their markers were spread all across the map along the border. There were many representing troops from the Hanyuan Empire as well, at least the battalions the empire knew about.
The little figures representing the battalion they were part of were placed near the middle of the map, next to figures that represented two other nearby battalions. There were also two enemy battalions represented, but judging from the number of outriders, enemy scouts that had been spotted, Yu Chen thought there was doubtless another large detachment somewhere in the area.
“What is the plan?” Yu Chen asked, looking towards his brother.
Mo Chen shook his head as he looked down at the map. “Truthfully, I don’t know. The general isn’t a fool, if he’s planning an attack he must have some trick up his sleeve.” He sighed in frustration as he looked at the map. “There’s not much we can do, other than trust in the general’s vision and hold the line the best we can.”
Yu Chen nodded, lost in thoughts of his own as he looked down at the map, not paying attention as more squad leaders entered and Mo Chen began repeating the commander’s words.