Guardian of Heaven and Earth
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Kanbal
Part 3 - Secret Plot
Chapter 4 - The Talsh Princes
It was summer in the Talsh capital of Rahan. Faol bushes shook in the faint breeze, their red flowers blooming and open to the sun. The Talsh Emperor watched the flowers as servants watered and tended them. He had a habit of reclining on a low chair near a stream that cut through the garden. It was a peaceful and quiet place.
Two servants stood near the old Emperor’s reclining chair, cooling him with large and elaborate fans in the shape of seashells. The Emperor considered the events of his life in a melancholy manner, listening to the stream and the sound of the breeze passing over his face.
The Emperor dozed. He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching. There were people standing in the shadow of a large faol shrub. They were his two sons and a collection of powerful prime ministers and officials. These were the men who would decide Talsh’s future.
There was a man sitting next to the Emperor in the garden, writing something on parchment. He stood up and approached the Talsh princes and prime ministers. This man was Aiol, the chief prime minister of the Talsh Emperor, called the Minister of the Sun. Aoil had a Talsh name, but he was not, by birth, a Talsh citizen.
The Talsh Emperor and Aoil had met in an army tent on a battlefield. There had been war with the kingdom of Koranam then; the Talsh army had crushed Koranam’s utterly. The King of Koranam came to the tent of the Talsh Emperor to surrender. He signed over his lands and affixed his seal to the bottom of the treaty.
The Talsh Emperor usually had an excellent memory for important events, but he couldn’t remember what the King of Koranam’s face had looked like in that moment at all. But he did remember the face of the young man standing in the corner of the tent with perfect clarity.
Aoil was the son of the King of Koranam’s mistress. His father was a bumbling incompetent, so he’d been controlling most matters of governance in Koranam from a young age. While the King of Koranam had looked on the Talsh conquerors with fear, Aoil had looked at the Talsh Emperor with an expression of sincere interest and genuine respect.
It had been more than forty years since that day. Aoil had helped the Talsh Empire bring eight more kingdoms under Talsh dominion since that time.
“Your sons say that the heat is unbearable and that they would prefer to speak to you inside,” Aoil whispered.
“No; I’m comfortable here,” the Talsh Emperor said. “Let them approach.”
The Talsh princes came in front of their father’s reclining chair, got to their knees and bowed their heads. The princes didn’t look much like siblings. Prince Hazar resembled his mother; he had a large build and a slender face. Prince Raul looked much more like the Talsh Emperor, with a slight build that was common among the Talsh people. There was something threatening and intimidating in Prince Raul’s aura. He had always been a man on fire, consumed by his passions.
“Areh’s blessings upon you, honored father,” Hazar and Raul said together. They lifted their heads.
The Emperor told them to speak freely. The two servants bearing fans were entirely deaf, but when Aoil gave the signal that the princes would be staying for a while, they set their fans aside and brought out chairs for the princes. The princes seated themselves before their father; their counselors and stood behind them.
Prince Raul and Prince Raul were often at odds; the officials who supported the princes always disagreed on policy decisions. Kurz, the official who controlled the northern army, stood at Prince Raul’s right side. Hamil, the official controlling the southern army, stood near Prince Hazar. Hamil’s skin was jet black; like Aoil, he wasn’t born a Talsh citizen, but was recruited from the foreign nation of Karal.
The assembled officials all bowed to the Emperor, then sat down and waited a little distance away from him and the two princes.
The garden wasn’t the best place for a private conference. Aside from the faol bushes, there was no cover. That was why the Emperor’s servants couldn’t hear. Important matters of state must be kept secret.
“Are you well, father?” Prince Raul asked.
The Talsh Emperor smiled. “Very well, thank you.”
In the Talsh Empire, the oldest son didn’t get preferential treatment for inheriting their father’s rule. The Talsh Emperor had full authority in choosing his successor. Prince Raul addressed his father before Prince Hazar because he had conquered more nations and provinces and distinguished himself more in political and military matters than his older brother.
“How is the invasion of the northern continent progressing?” the Talsh Emperor asked hoarsely.
Prince Raul gave him a brief, comprehensive report. When he finished speaking, the Talsh Emperor shifted his gaze to Prince Hazar.
“You look like you want to say something, Hazar,” the Talsh Emperor said. “What is it?”
Prince Hazar smiled a little. “Father, the seeds I planted many years ago as a young man are, at last, bearing fruit. I believe I will be able to protect my brother from betrayal if my plan is successful.”
Prince Raul looked at his brother. Prince Hazar smiled calmly back at him, then said, “My brother’s invasion is going splendidly, but there is one weakness. We can’t dismiss the military might of the northern continent. Individually, New Yogo, Rota, and Kanbal are weak, but if they banded together, they might successfully repel an invasion.” Prince Hazar paused, folding his hands in his lap.
“Crown Prince Chagum of New Yogo fled from my brother’s custody. My spies inform me that he is attempting to orchestrate an alliance between King Radalle of Kanbal and Prince Ihan of Rota. It’s unlike you to allow such a thing to happen right under your nose, brother.”
Prince Hazar was inwardly frustrated at Prince Raul’s preferential status, but he didn’t let it show on his face.
“I thank you for your concern, Hazar,” Prince Raul said with a wolfish smile, “but there’s no need to worry. My own spies have informed me that Prince Ihan refused the alliance. Crown Prince Chagum has been declared dead in New Yogo; he has no authority. Who would ever agree to listen to him now? He fled to Kanbal because Prince Ihan refused to hear him. I expect he’ll get the same treatment from the King of Kanbal.”
Hazar opened his mouth to say something, but the Talsh Emperor spoke first. “Hazar, you spoke of seeds sown long ago. Do not bore me with long metaphorical explanations. Cut straight to the heart of the matter.”
“Yes, father,” Prince Hazar said. “When I learned of the illness of King Yosam in Rota many years ago, I sought to make use of it. We have had dealings with the southern clan lords of Rota for decades, and now, Rota is in the middle of a civil war. The south has all the money and all the troops; they will win. Kanbal is already committed to our side. We’ve as good as won, father.”
Everyone seemed surprised at Prince Hazar’s words. No one had suspected him of interfering with Rota’s politics for such a long time. Kurz, still standing at Prince Raul’s side, went pale.
There was a long silence. The Talsh Emperor broke it. “Splendidly done, Hazar,” he said with tears of admiration in his eyes. “Is this the reason why you and your brother divvied up Rota in the first place, to better leverage Rota’s unstable politics against its neighbors, Kanbal and New Yogo?”
“I fear my explanation is incomplete, father,” Prince Hazar said. “I manipulated only southern Rota and Kanbal. Prince Raul still deserves credit for his work in conquering northern Rota and New Yogo.” His expression was complicated. He wanted to extol his own exploits, but he couldn’t risk misstating his role and stealing all the credit from Prince Raul. “We now have northern Rota and Kanbal at our mercy.”
Prince Raul didn’t interrupt. Prince Hazar and the Talsh Emperor felt no aura of threat from him, but it was clear to everyone what Prince Hazar was saying. The key to conquering the northern continent was to subjugate Rota, the largest and richest nation--and Prince Hazar was responsible for its current state of vulnerability. It was Prince Raul’s plan to conquer New Yogo before focusing on Rota, but that didn’t make Prince Hazar’s plan a bad strategy.
“If we have Rota, then we have a foothold,” the Talsh Emperor said. “We can land troops and set up supply routes.”
It wasn’t praise, exactly, but Prince Hazar blushed and ducked his head as if he were accepting a serious compliment. “Exactly, father,” he said. “If you give me leave to deploy the southern army, I’ll have them in Rota as soon as possible. Or we can use the men who have already landed in Sangal--twenty thousand or so. Just give the word, and I will conquer Rota for you within a month of landing.”
Prince Raul could make no protest. Is this why he put out so many feelers in Kanbal? he thought. To trap northern Rota for an easy conquest? Prince Raul was usually a better strategist than his brother, but this tactic was one that Prince Raul hadn’t seen coming.
Raul felt his father’s eyes on him.
“What do you think, Raul?” the Talsh Emperor asked. “Will you share military authority with your brother?”
Prince Raul froze still. If he agreed, then Prince Hazar would get full credit for conquering Rota. It would become much easier for Prince Raul to conquer New Yogo with increased troops and supply lines established. But Prince Raul didn’t want to share any part of the northern continent with his brother. Prince Hazar was like a child who’d snatched the tastiest morsel at dinner before anyone else could have a piece.
Prince Hazar’s strategy, while good, wasn’t foolproof. There were problems with it; enough for Prince Raul to form a pretext to keep his armies off of the northern continent.
“No, father,” Prince Raul said. “Dividing military authority on the continent isn’t a sound strategy.”
The people surrounding Prince Raul were somewhat startled by the firm decisiveness in his voice.
“If my esteemed brother already has Kanbal well in hand, we have no need for more soldiers to conquer the continent. Once Kanbal is firmly in our hands, Rota will soon follow--it’s already tearing itself apart from the inside out. Why should we waste more men and resources on a campaign when it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll win?’
Hazar went pale. Raul continued speaking strongly and confidently.
“My army is in New Yogo now; I intend to bring it under control quickly. I thank you, brother, for causing such unrest in Rota; you’ve saved me a lot of trouble. I pray that everything will go just as smoothly as you said.”
Raul gave Hazar an unsettling smile, then faced his father.
“We are Talsh, and born to conquer,” Raul said. “I swear that we will completely subjugate the northern continent, father. You have my word.”
The Emperor remained silent for a long moment, looking at his sons with bright, interested eyes. “Is that so?” he asked at long length. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The princes consulted with their own advisors, then withdrew. When they were all gone, the Emperor beckoned to Aoil. “Which of my sons should rule after me?” he asked.
Aoil considered the two princes. “I’m not sure. They would lead the empire in different directions. It’s still not clear which one we need.”
The Emperor harrumphed.
“Prince Raul was born to conquer nations,” Aoil said. “He’s been that way since early childhood, and he is responsible for the rapid growth of the Talsh empire over the past several decades. You would think that he’d be the natural choice for your heir.”
It really is a shame that Prince Raul wasn’t born first, the Emperor thought. Silence stretched out between the Emperor and Aoil.
Raul and his advisor, Kurz, had never known any life outside of conquering other nations. Prince Raul had never had to truly understand the hearts of his people. Conquering the northern continent was different from all previous conquests because it would be the last large war that Talsh would have to fight.
Aoil wasn’t sure that conquering the northern continent was a good idea. Sangal had been conquered years ago and was still resisting Talsh governance. Sangal was a seafaring nation with a large navy, but it couldn’t be entirely relied upon yet.
Still, Prince Raul’s strategy was undoubtedly correct. There were already plenty of men and resources on the northern continent to successfully conquer it; there was no need to send Prince Hazar with another army, which would split the responsibility--and the victory.
On the off-chance that the northern continent didn’t fall to Talsh conquest, Prince Raul’s reputation would take a hit, as would the strength of his claim to be the next Talsh Emperor.
Rota and Kanbal weren’t the only problems. The Talsh empire itself was rife with unrest. Aoil expected that he would see more clear signs of that unrest before long.
Aoil suddenly remembered the face of a young man. He was from one of Talsh’s conquered nations and had earned the trust of his Talsh overlords. He had captured the Crown Prince of New Yogo and brought him to Rahan, the capital city of the empire. He had been placed on the noble Path of Light by Prince Raul.
The young man had gone through all that trouble just so that he could meet Aoil. The more Aoil talked to the young man, the more he thought that his ideas reminded him of his own when he’d been a young man.
“The Talsh empire is like a leather bag stuffed full to bursting.” There was great suffering in the young man’s eyes as he said, “Talsh can’t keep expanding for much longer--and really, it shouldn’t. Talsh is going to have to learn to govern without relying on war and conquest to support its economy. We need to find a way for Talsh to do that before the leather bag bursts.”
What was the young man’s name? Hugo?
He was from Yogo, a province that had been conquered by Prince Raul some twenty years before. He understood how the people Talsh had conquered felt better than anyone else in the Talsh court.
Aoil sighed internally. If he were only a little older, he might have become Prince Raul’s chief adviser. He could guide the Talsh empire in a different direction...
Aoil had felt sorry for Prince Raul since his boyhood. He’d been raised in a cycle of endless conquest and killing before he’d even matured. He was like an unruly horse trampling over foreign lands; he had no experience governing a nation at peace. He was strong-willed enough to steer the empire in the wrong direction and pull it it off a cliff.
If that happened, the nobles and court ministers would have a very difficult decision to make. Aoil looked out at the summer garden as the sun set.
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