Enlightened Empire

As Corco picked up the dumbbells, sweat dripped from his face and landed between his feet. While his use of aproper exercise and training equipment had made Corco's workouts much more efficient than those of his contemporaries, he still felt like he needed to do more. His last fight against the cocky xianxia master had been far too close for comfort; and his lack of fitness was partially to blame. After he had taken over as king, his duties as well as his perfectionist plans had sucked up all of his time. As a result, his training had suffered, to almost catastrophic results in Chutwa. Determined to not let it happen again, he raised the dumbbells.

Though as he raised his head with the rest of his body, not only did the tent around him come into view, but so did one of his many troubles these days. With a frown to mirror many before it, he looked at Tamaya who had shown patience as she had waited for the king to acknowledge her presence in the room.

"Okay, talk."

"King Corco, we have received multiple important messages which need discussing.

"Right," he said as he continued his workout. Undeterred by Corco's curtness, Tama continued to read off her notes.

"First, our troop detachments have made their way far enough inland to cut Huaylas off from King Pacha's position. Control of the territory does not seem to be a problem so far. While Nahlen might have been a traitor, at least his actions proved useful in the end. Ever since he burned down that village, we started spreading false rumors of the incident."

"Uhuh."Although his muscles burned, although he knew it was time to stop, Corco kept up his workout.

*Better than starting an argument in this moody state.*

Still, Tama pressed on, despite Corco's best attempts to show his unwillingness.

"In the rumors, we have implied that the raid was performed in retaliation to the villagers' resistance. No one within the occupied lands will resist us any longer, at least so long as we do not overstep our boundaries and leave the inhabitants to their business. In that sense, the rumors have been a great success."

A heavy thud interrupted Tama's explanation as the irons landed on the ground. After he had been sufficiently annoyed by her casual attitude, he decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Look, I know what sort of rumors you've spread, and I know why. There's no reason to pretend." As he spoke, he walked over to Tama, who handed him a piece of cloth to dry his body.

"I believe that I have made the most appropriate decision under the circumstances," she answered, still in a voice calm enough to let Corco explode.

"Oh will you fuck off with that shit!? Have you not walked around in our camp out there?" he shouted, his hand with the towel pointed towards the tent's exit. "Everyone whispers about the evil witch who entrapped Nahlen and left me no choice but to execute him. And why did you do something like that? According to my soldiers, you were jealous of Nahlen's growing position in my staff, or you're a slighted lover, or any one from a number of petty reasons. Meanwhile, outside the camp, the locals are telling stories that you were the one who ordered the retaliation against the village, without my, the king's, knowledge. Even I've heard the rumors, so how could my spymaster not be aware of them?"

"King Corco has given me free reign to handle the situation, and I have done as asked, with minimal damage to the empire, and to you as well."

"Well, if I had known this was how you'd do things, I never would have allowed it!" Once Corco had dried off his face, he sat down on his chair. "I know what you're trying to do. You're getting rid of Nahlen, you're getting the locals in line and you're defending my reputation all at the same time. But the way you handled it sucks. Just listen to the fuckdamn gossip."

"These sorts of rumors are only temporary, and they should have no impact on the morale of the troop, nor on your reputation. Thus, they should have no relevance."

"Right," the king sneered. "A perfect ending, every one is happy. But what about you? You're now the crazy witch who keeps killing people out of jealousy, or spite. That's not gonna go away. Dirt like that sticks, always. How am I supposed to handle this? In the official version, you went behind the king's back when you let Nahlen kill all those villagers. Are you aware that I have to punish you for this or the entire story falls apart?"

"Then you should do so without reserve," a still immovable Tama said.

"But you just did what I fucking asked! I gave the orders, even though I didn't know the details. I won't let anyone take the blame for something I'm responsible for. Fuck everyone, and fuck my reputation, I'm not punishing you."

For the first time since their talk began, Tama showed a reaction. Her perfect posture loosened as her shoulders slumped, and a sigh escaped her lips. Even after all this time, it was rare for her to drop her mask in front of Corco.

"King Corco, please listen. Punishment is not a big problem for me. After all, I am not a general, or an administrator. I am a mere spy. A demotion into a position behind the scenes would fit me far better than the work I have been forced to oversee so far. Even more: What better weapon for a spy to have than fear? Let them spread the rumors, let them be afraid of my lunacy. They will only make my work more effective."

Although Corco wanted to get angry again and deny her request, he understood that she was right. As little as he liked it, this was the best solution. As he breathed out, his anger disappeared and was replaced by frustration.

"Well, fuck. Now I really regret giving you that power," he said in the end.

Tama just smiled and waited for the king's decision.

"Fine, what's done is done. You get your wish. You get to work outside of the public eye, you get to be feared, and you get to take the blame for everything. Just like you wanted. I still don't have to like it though."

"And for your concern I am deeply grateful."

Corco sighed again. Now that the biggest issue was resolved, he took out his old pistol and began to clean it. The regular cleaning after his training sessions had become a bit of a ritual.

"This has been as exhausting as it was useless. What else is on the agenda? You said there were multiple messages, right?"

Tama nodded.

"Since we have cut through Sinchay and reached the Argu, receiving runners from the capital has become much easier. It appears Inti has had quiet good fun during the last Triumvirate Meeting, when Official Pallatio accused everyone in the room of collusion. He even tried to accuse us of breaking with traditions until Inti produced a letter from the lonely island about the legitimacy of our crossing. Then he seems to have accused House Ichilia, his own allies, because of their inactivity during the war. "

"Well, their sluggish attitude is hardly a surprise, is it?" Corco asked. "Lord Ichilia won't intervene so long as Pacha doesn't come crawling for help. That's the entire point of his indifference."

"Still, Official Pallatio seems to believe that King Pacha's family has been paid off by us in some way. Apparently, he has also accused King Amautu of dishonorable actions for shielding our assets in Porcero from King Pacha's new allies. Your brother was not amused by the accusation."

As they thought about Amautu's upset face and the growing rift between the two northern kings, both Corco and Tama smiled, as if they had forgotten their previous disagreement.

"Those accusations don't make any sense in the first place." Corco added with a bemused voice and a wide, dramatic swing of his arm. "I mean, at the start, Pacha was the one who ganged up with Ichilia and Amautu to corner us, so what changed to make alliances dishonorable? Unlike him, we've not even become proper allies with those two. We're just making sure Pacha is forced to fight us one on one. How's a fair fight ever dishonorable?"

"Of course it is honorable. We should just let the old man vent his frustration. It will only harm King Pacha's reputation among the lords further." Tamaya still had suppressed her smile. As she thought about Corco's strategy, an unusual sternness entered her expression. "Though I do wonder if we are prepared for our eventual confrontation with Pacha's army. No matter our current position, we have far fewer, and far less experienced warriors. Will we be able to withstand a direct charge of elite Pluritac warriors?"

Of course Tama should know about Corco's preparations, but she still asked for an explanation. Maybe she tried to improve his mood, since she knew that her master loved showing off his toys. Corco didn't really mind, and was more than willing to play along.

"Since you're still unconvinced of our course, let me assure you: We're decades, no, centuries ahead of Pacha in terms of weapons technology. No matter how many martial arts masters he has under his command, they won't stand a chance against modern weapons. Back in the bronze age, the simple knowledge of iron production was enough to create a giant empire and defeat anyone in battle. The step from swords and axes to muskets and cannons is an even bigger one than the creation of iron, at least if you ask me. So long as we don't screw up and stay focused, there is no reason to be worried."

As he continued to clean his trusty old wheellock pistol, Corco thought with glee about all the little improvements they had made since he had arrived in Saniya. All of them put together would amount to more strength than anyone on Pacha's side could imagine.

"I would never doubt our victory... however... We have received another letter from Official Brymstock."

"Wait, from Brym? What happened?" In response to Tama's worried tone, Corco put down his weapon and looked up.

"According to the report we have received, a large contingent of Duke Herak's men have moved out of Porcero and to the south, most likely to reinforce King Pacha. Although he attempted to have them delayed by the local bandits like he did with their food supplies, the troop is much too large to risk any attacks. They will arrive at the enemy camp in the Narrows within a few days."

Rather than worry, Corco leaned back in his chair and sighed in relief.

"That's good, isn't it? Pacha's supply lines to his bread basket in Huaylas are interrupted, his uncle's ships are stranded at sea and now he's even got reinforcements. There's no reason for my good uncle to stand by and let me humiliate him any longer. Now he'll have to come out and fight me."

In the end, it turned out to be good news. A reaction from Pacha was just what Corco had wanted after all. Still, Tama's worries weren't fully alleviated.

"However, Duke Herak's troops seem to carry modern weaponry as well. If Captain Atau's report is correct, their equipment should be even more advanced than our own, with larger caliber cannons. With no more advantage in weaponry, will we be able to prevail in a fight?"

Again the king picked up his pistol, one which would lose ever more of its worth with further technological progress. As he replied, a grin spread across his face.

"Ah, things aren't quite as one-sided as you might think. Sure, Borna managed to cast some bigger cannons in the last few years, but that's not gonna help them in a land war, especially one fought in the snow. The heavy cannons will make their army too slow, so they'll have to rely on ordinary muskets instead. And when it comes to tech, we've not been standing still either. Sure, Herak's people might be a century or so ahead of Pacha's army, but we're ahead at least two. To me, this sounds like a good chance to show off some of our hard work."

__________________________

To Pacha, Herak's figure didn't inspire confidence. With his scary mask and the constant scowl on his lips, he looked like a demon straight out of the stories. For a moment he wondered if his reliance on someone like that could be justified before the ancestors. However, he had changed his opinion as soon as he looked at the reinforcements he had brought with him. Although the new troops only numbered a few hundred, they carried with them their weapons, no less advanced than the hand cannons Corco had used to defeat his uncle's assassins back during the succession war.

"Lord Herak, this king welcomes you into his humble camp!"

Despite all the splendor of the central kingdom's warriors before him, Pacha's newest ally had decided to acknowledge the king's might with only a short nod.

"Hm. Now that my men are here, you can have a few days to get your people used to the machlocks. Then we can finally move out and deal with this nonsense issue."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Since this demon did not want to listen to the king's command, it appeared as if he had to show a hero's strength. Pacha's voice turned sharp as he stepped up to intimidate his new servant.

"It means, King Pacha, that you have made poor work of conquering the south." Unlike his useless allies, the brawny man in the mask did not back down. Instead, he grabbed the giant bow in his back. The weapon would be useless this close, but it was still a clear sign of hostility.

"We could have ended this battle a long time ago," Pacha repeated Pallatio's fabricated excuse. "Yet like the good allies we are, we awaited the arrival of Lord Herak and the rest of our allies to share in our glory, and our spoils. Yet somehow, these allies were delayed as they failed to conquer a single merchant's shop even after several months."

Reminded of his own failure, Herak stared at Pacha with indifferent eyes, before he took half a step back. Even though he had backed down, Pacha couldn't see any fear or waver in the demon's eyes. Maybe he was not capable of such human emotions.

"I have not come here to start a fight," Herak said. "I have come to end a war. No matter who is at fault, your patience will prove an advantage in the end. Since you failed to move, Corco has advanced his troops further inland and dug in. If your reports are to be believed, his men are spread all across the southern coast to box in your fleet, and even more are stationed inland to cut off our supply lines."

"True indeed!" As a great general himself, Pacha understood the demon's hints right away. "If we move now, the southerners will have no time to organize a retreat. Their only choice will be to pull their troops together and fight us head-on. So long as your men and weapons can deliver what you have promised, our victory will be assured."

Wasn't this all Pacha had ever wanted? A fair duel with Corco? With no tricks, no sneaky methods? With this, their starting line would be even. If he had to deal with demons to get a fair fight, then he would grit his teeth and welcome them as friends.

"Oh, don't worry. I will do my best to ensure our victory," the demon's inhuman, stiff mouth formed a crooked grin. "After all, I still have an old score to settle with that brother of yours... and even more, you've paid us well for our muskets." Herak sneered, but Pacha didn't care. In the end, he only had to pay something that wasn't his in the first place.

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"So when will you begin to take your present? Soon?" he asked, more out of curiosity than genuine interest. Even so, the bold answer shocked the king.

"Ahaha, it seems like you don't understand, king. Our delegation had long reached the south, ready to take over our new lands."

The cold laugh let a chill run down Pacha's spine. Maybe his worst enemy stood right beside him.