Guardian of Heaven and Earth
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New Yogo
Part 4 - The Flood
Chapter 3 - Shuga's Resolve
Army Lieutenant Karyou rode up to the war camp on a fast horse. He dismounted and was relieved of his weapons, then approached Shuga, Kahm, Karon, and Jin.
There was a large desk set up in the center of a group of war tents. There was a map on it that captured the current status of the Talsh invasion in black ink.
“I thank you for allowing me to be part of this war council,” Army Lieutenant Karyou said. “It is good for us all to share our thoughts about the current situation--Rota, Kanbal, and New Yogo.”
Karon nodded in approval. “We were planning to hold this war council largely without New Yogo’s participation, but Lord Shuga asked us to change our minds. It is only natural for you to be here. The men in your armies will fight and die as surely as ours will.”
Karon reached out for a piece of parchment on the desk. “We’ve received a message by hawk from our Rotan spies, the Kashal. The army that defeated New Yogo’s forces on the Tarano Plains is marching north, and will be here in a matter of days.
“However, this invasion force was expected. The invasion force from the east is the surprise. They are a completely different army--and they’re half a day’s march from Kosenkyo.”
Karyou nodded, then glanced at Shuga. Shuga stared back and said nothing.
“It is my recommendation that we lure the Talsh into the capital with a token force, then wait for the Blue Bow and Bird Song Rivers to overflow, sweeping away both armies,” Karon said.
Shuga shook his head. “We must all flee, Lieutenant Karon. We cannot abandon men here to die. If they remain in the city until the flood begins, there will be no safe place for them to go. ”
Shuga frowned down at the map. “It’s true that the flood will come. There isn’t much distance between the two rivers, and the rising water will make the terrain muddy and difficult to traverse. That might buy us enough time to get away.”
Karon shook his head. “The Talsh spies are fast and clever. If we abandon the capital completely, they’ll know. They might even find out the reason why. Some of their spies are mixed in among the common people. I’m certain they already know that Crown Prince Chagum has returned and that the Portent of Great Disaster is upon us.”
Shuga tapped the Blue Bow River on the map. It was to the east of the capital. “Talsh forces will pass this way. The river hasn’t flooded yet, and likely won’t for at least a few days. If they keep marching, they’ll be trapped in the river basin and won’t be able to get to high ground before the water level is rising. Besides, even if we abandon the capital, the Talsh won’t. It’s too important to their conquest, symbolically if in no other way.”
“Time is working in Talsh’s favor,” Karon said. “If the capital is washed away and the Talsh somehow avoid damage, it’ll be a devastating blow for New Yogo. If the Talsh manage to draw things out, they could cut off the Sangal and Rota borders to prevent us from receiving supplies and reinforcements. Our only chance is to let the flood waters destroy the Talsh along with the city.”
Karon thought for a moment. “Time is the problem. We need to lure the Talsh into attacking before the flood begins, then retreat as fast as possible.”
Shuga considered, then pointed to the map. “We can lure them from here,” he said, pointing to a grassy plain below the Moon Hills.
“Wouldn’t it be better to lure them from a hill?” Karon asked. “That area is completely exposed. The Talsh will see us from a mile off, and they’re better at taking advantage of the terrain than we are.”
Shuga smiled. “This is the perfect place, specifically because the Talsh can see it from a mile off. We’ll be an easy target, and they’ll come right for us.”
Karon frowned. Jin leaned over the map, then muttered, “I see. It could work.”
“That place is all rice fields,” Shuga said, “though the rice was blighted and neglected because of the war, so now it just looks like a grassy plain from a distance. It will be easy for us to build dams and ditches to control the water. If we destroy the dams during our flight, all the water will rush at the Talsh army at once.”
Kahm’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea.” But then he frowned. “I understand the broad outlines of the plan, but not how we’re going to get away in time. We have to cross one river or the other--or both--to evacuate such a large army.”
“That’s where Karyou is going to help us,” Shuga said.
Everyone looked askance at Karyou.
“Karyou and I have been in secret talks with the Talsh army for a long time,” Shuga said. “Before we knew about the flood, we planned to assassinate the Mikado and hand the city over to the Talsh army without a fight. In exchange, they would have spared our lives and the people in the city.”
Kahm’s eyebrows rose in indignation. “What?”
“Consider our options,” Shuga said coldly. “What would you have done? Would it be better for the people in the city to die, and have their homes and fields put to the torch? We had scarcely nine thousand men left and were unaware that allies were coming. The Talsh number thirty thousand, at least, and are experienced in war. I decided it would be better for our nation to be conquered than slaughtered.”
Kahm and Karon gave Shuga icy stares. “Did we really invite more Talsh spies to our war council?”
“It’s obvious that we’re not thinking that way now,” Shuga said. “Don’t toss around pointless accusations.” He turned to Karyou. “Are Talsh spies and messengers still mixed in among the refugees leaving the city?” he asked.
“They are,” Karyou said.
“Then we’ll send out this message: ‘The Mikado has decided to discard the capital on advice from the Holy Sage, due to a Portent of Great Disaster seen in the Heavens. He will send the Crown Prince south to seek a new capital. However, Crown Prince Chagum received a grave in the fighting at Yazuno Fortress.’
“Right now, everyone is protecting Crown Prince Chagum, but if he were to die, the armies of Kanbal and Rota would throw their support behind Third Prince Tugum. With a message like that, the Talsh will expect us to march south and secure our supply lines on the Tarano Plains before searching for a new capital. The army at Yazuno will march to the Samal Pass and unite with the remainder of the Rotan cavalry force. That means that only the Rotan and Kanbalese forces will be left behind to protect Kosenkyo. At least, that’s what the Talsh will think.”
Karyou listened to Shuga speak with his mouth half-open.
“That’s right,” Shuga said. “We’ll pretend to sell out Rota and Kanbal. We’ll claim that we have the last surviving heirs of the imperial family under our protection, and that the only soldiers left for the Talsh to defeat are the Rotans and Kanbalese. We’ll make it look like we’ve set a trap for Rota and Kanbal’s forces at Kosenkyo so that the Talsh armies will leave us alone while we travel.”
Shuga finished speaking. No one else spoke for a full minute. Everyone was considering Shuga’s plan.
Army Lieutenant Karyou wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Do you really think the Talsh would believe us, if we sent out such messages?”
“They have no reason to distrust us,” Shuga said. “And they’re after conquest, not our lives. If they can conquer New Yogo’s capital without killing New Yogo’s people, they will.” Shuga looked Karyou in the eyes. “I told Crown Prince Chagum that we were spies for the Talsh Empire. He told me that he would have done the exact same thing in our place. He’s approved of our actions so far. We all have the same goal: to save the northern continent from disaster.”
Karyou stared at the map for a long while, then looked up at Shuga again. “All right. Let’s do it.”
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