The chill of the morning had yet to fade when General Lu Sang arrived at the grand pace in Jin Cheng. The echoes of the recent battle at Ginah still clung to him—the scent of blood, the cries of the fallen, the weight of his sword in his hand. Yet, there was no time for rest. Queen Pan Lian had summoned him.

  He strode through the gilded halls, past courtiers and officials who murmured at his battered armor and war-weary face. The Queen’s audience chamber was bathed in golden light, her presence as regal as ever atop the dragon-carved throne. Her crimson robes pooled around her, the silk embroidered with the celestial phoenix, a symbol of her divine right to rule.

  “General Lu Sang,” her voice rang out, commanding and sharp. “You have done well holding the Great Mud Wall, but defense alone is not victory.”

  He knelt, pressing his fist to the polished floor. “Your Majesty, the wall still stands, and Ginah remains under our rule.”

  “Yet, the barbarian threat does not end,” she replied, leaning forward. “They will return. They always return. We cannot afford another siege—not so soon, not when the Fanism Empire watches, waiting for our weakness.”

  Lu Sang’s brow furrowed. He had expected reinforcements, perhaps more fortifications. But the Queen’s eyes burned with something fiercer.

  “You will take the fight to them,” she decred. “I am ordering a full invasion. You will march beyond our borders and cim the nd of the Inlo Kingdom. Burn forty of their vilges to the ground, seize their resources, and establish a military outpost. We will make their homend a graveyard for their ambitions.”

  A heavy silence settled over the chamber. Lu Sang weighed her words carefully. He was a soldier of the empire, sworn to obey, but this was no mere defensive measure—it was an act of total subjugation. The thought of razing entire vilges, dispcing entire tribes, gave him pause.

  “Your Majesty,” he began cautiously, “a campaign of this scale will take time. Our forces are still recovering from the siege. If we march too soon—”

  “You will have what you need,” she interrupted, her tone brooking no argument. “Supplies, men, weapons. But this must be done swiftly. If we hesitate, we invite disaster.”

  He clenched his jaw. The Queen was right about one thing—the Fanism Empire was watching. Their spies lurked in the shadows, their legions waiting for the perfect moment to strike. If the Inlo Kingdom weakened their borders further, it could invite an invasion on two fronts. Yet, the weight of the command sat heavy upon his shoulders.

  “I understand,” he said finally. “I will lead the campaign.”

  A flicker of approval crossed her face. “Good. You leave in three days. Take what is theirs, make them remember the might of Jin Cheng.”

  With a bow, he rose and turned on his heel. The empire had spoken. The next battle would not be fought in the shadow of the Great Mud Wall, but in the heart of enemy nds. As he stepped out into the sunlight, Lu Sang knew that history would remember what was to come—not just as a military conquest, but as the erasure of a kingdom.

  Three days ter, the army of Jin Cheng stormed across the borders of the Inlo Kingdom, striking with brutal efficiency. The first vilge fell before sunrise, its defenders no match for Lu Sang’s disciplined forces. Fires engulfed the thatched homes, and the vilgers who resisted were cut down swiftly. Those who surrendered were taken as prisoners or forced into exile, their homend turned into smoldering ruins.

  The campaign continued relentlessly, with the army splitting into multiple divisions to strike at different vilges simultaneously. Some settlements mounted desperate defenses, with warriors brandishing crude weapons and hurling spears from barricaded walls. But against the empire’s steel, their resistance crumbled. Arrows rained upon the defenders, and cavalry charged through the broken gates, leaving nothing but devastation in their wake.

  For weeks, the invasion raged. Forty vilges were systematically destroyed, their granaries raided, their livestock seized to feed the advancing army. The once-thriving settlements of the Inlo Kingdom were reduced to ashes, and the survivors who fled into the wilderness would tell tales of the wrath of Jin Cheng.

  When the conquest was complete, Lu Sang turned his attention to fortification. On the ruins of a central vilge, a military outpost was established. Engineers and borers erected wooden palisades, dug deep trenches, and id the foundations for stone fortifications. Watchtowers rose above the pins, ensuring that no force could approach unseen. Barracks, armories, and supply depots were constructed with ruthless efficiency, turning the conquered nd into an unbreakable stronghold.

  By the time winter approached, the outpost stood firm, a monument to Jin Cheng’s dominance. The Inlo Kingdom had been shattered, its people scattered, and its nds cimed. Lu Sang knew there would be future battles, that vengeance might yet come from the remnants of the fallen tribes. But for now, the empire had won, and the Queen’s will had been fulfilled.

  The silence of the newly conquered nds was shattered when an envoy from the Inlo Kingdom arrived under a banner of truce. A delegation of warriors, adorned in ceremonial garb, rode toward the outpost, their faces grim with purpose. At their head was Chief Taru, an elder known for his unwavering resolve.

  Lu Sang met them in the open field beyond the outpost’s walls, fnked by his officers. The cold wind carried whispers of past battles as the envoy dismounted. Chief Taru stepped forward, his voice firm despite the weight of the moment.

  “You have overstepped your bounds, General,” he decred. “You have burned our vilges, sughtered our people, and driven us from our nds. We demand that you withdraw your forces at once and return what you have taken.”

  Lu Sang’s expression remained unreadable. “The nds are now under the rule of Jin Cheng,” he replied. “Your kingdom was weak, unable to defend itself. The Queen has decreed that this territory shall serve as a bastion against any future threats.”

  Taru’s eyes darkened. “Then you leave us no choice. The scattered tribes have united, and the great cns that rule our cities stand with us. If you do not withdraw, we will unch the rgest counteroffensive your empire has ever seen.”

  A murmur spread through Lu Sang’s officers, but the general remained unmoved. He had anticipated resistance, yet the unification of the tribes posed a challenge that could not be ignored.

  “You speak boldly, Chief Taru,” Lu Sang said. “But war has already been decided. If you wish to recim these nds, you will have to take them by force.”

  Taru’s expression was one of quiet fury. “So be it.”

  Without another word, the envoy turned and rode away, leaving behind a promise of war. Lu Sang watched them disappear over the horizon, knowing that the battles to come would test the strength of the empire like never before.