The air was cool that morning in the north. In a far area within the fields, the An Clan set camp, the entire area surrounded with their men and flags – none daring to pass.
For three months, the An Clan spread throughout the Northern Empire, rampaging provinces, seizing the land for themselves and expanding their territory.
Today was the day of the An Clan's spring hunt. Members of the clan as well as the Tuhan troops would compete to catch the most prey.
Like every year, An Ruo won.
"Great catch Master Ruo!
"As expected of our strongest member!"
The camps strongly built pens were black silhouettes outlined against the setting sun. They could hear the other's return from the loud boasting of men and the subtle sound of horses' hooves. Over their heads, a dozen golden banners whipped back and forth in the northern wind, the sign of the An Clan's falcon branded.
By then, the others were dismounting, and An Ruo bore a subtle smile on his face as men patted him on the back proudly. He didn't look smug or modest, just as easygoing as ever. Having won the hunt, An Ruo walked toward the main pen to where his father would grant him a reward.
Three months ago, when Manchu brought back the head of Governor Duyi, An Ruo and his father's relationship faltered - his father's trust in him cracked. As his goal required favoritism from his father, An Ruo couldn't allow this to happen.
He was the true heir, the eldest, born to rule.
For the next month, he was obedient to his father's every word and trained hard to spread the clan's territory through the north.
As An Ruo approached the pen's entrance, his eyes made contact with a figure speaking to a Tuhan man. His rare blue eyes entrapped many but only brought disgust to An Ruo. He was nothing but a rare blooded slave who was taken in by his bastard brother.
Now that An Sun was dead, his position was no more of what it once was.
And yet, his father still held some favor toward him as he was loyal and obedient to the clan.
Just like a mutt.
When those blue eyes met his dark ones, scorn flashed in An Ruo's gaze. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Turning away, he entered the pen. The air was heavy with the scent of spices, burning coal, and sweet lemon and cinnamon.
When he entered, he saw his father, who sat with quiet dignity, thick fingers on the sides of his chair with wine and meat beside him. An Ruo nodded silently, knelt, and bowed his head.
"You've done well once again, son." An Hongyu sounded very pleased.
"Thank you, father. I hope I captured enough for the feast tonight." An Ruo responded humbly.
After the spring hunt, a feast was held with the men's catches. It was always more than enough.
"It is enough. Tell me, what is it you want as a reward? Wine? Gold? Silks?" He smiled enigmatically and tore a wing from the duck meat beside him. Honey and grease ran over his fingers and dripped down into his beard as he nibbled at the tender meat. "Women?"
An Ruo was still on one knee, his eyes upraised. "Truth be told father, I would like to make a request. A suggestion, if you will."
"Hmm?" An Hongyu leaned in his seat with a raised brow. "And what would that be?"
An Ruo was silent for a moment before he finally spoke up.
"For the past three months, our power has spread throughout the north. Provinces fear us more than ever before and our men have only grown stronger." An Ruo replied quietly. When his father did not answer, he continued, "I think it's time that we expand our influence even further into the Western Empire."
An Hongyu's mouth gave a bitter twist. "The Western Empire?"
An Ruo nodded. "We had previously failed to seize land from the Eastern Empire due to its strength and alliances with the Northern Empire's army, the Bai family. However, the Western Empire has yet to forge alliances with other empires. They will be weaker with reinforcements, especially if we claim their strongest provinces first. When we gain enough control in the northern and western empires, we will be able to attack the strongest...the Eastern Empire."
After An Ruo finished speaking, silence filled the pen. He continued kneeling before his father, waiting for his response.
Suddenly, An Hongyu laughed, the sound rattling among the pen and bouncing from the ceiling. His smile was a flash of white teeth in the thicket of a huge black beard. While An Ruo's words caught him by surprise, he was nonetheless pleased with them.
"This request of yours. I accept. I will prepare the items for your travel."
The look in An Ruo's eyes seemed to shift up as he bowed his head.
"Thank you, father."
...
Manchu had been helping the Tuhan troops set up for the big feast that night when he sensed a hard stare on his back. He disregarded it and continued to skin the animals by his feet while sitting on a wooden bench.
"You handle that dagger well," An Ruo's calm voice sounded behind him.
Holding back a sigh, Manchu shifted his head to see An Ruo staring at him with curved eyes. He sensed from his stare; An Ruo was in a pleasant mood. That usually suggested something bad for him.
In response to his praise, Manchu said nothing, continuing to makes piles of red, raw meat beside him.
"Such skill...I will need it on my next conquest."
At this, Manchu's brows furrowed as he turned back to An Ruo with a troubled frown.
"What are you talking about?" He hated beating around the bush.
An Ruo just chuckled and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't make plans anytime soon. After all, you'll be joining my men and I to the Western Empire."
Hearing those words, Manchu was even more surprised, his frown deepening. An Ruo looked pleased and pats his shoulder.
"I hope you don't fail me. I wouldn't want any accidents to happen."
Patting him on the shoulder one last time, An Ruo walked away toward a group of Tuhan men, who greeted him with a respectable bow. Manchu watched his movements for a while before turning back to the half-skinned animal in his hand.
He was certain during this conquest...An Ruo would try killing him.
At the thought of this, Manchu was relatively calm. What worried him the most was the idea of the conquest. An Ruo's influence was growing. Over the last few months, the An Clan had spread its territory and had become a threatening power among the empires.
With An Ruo's mindset for more power, he very soon would invade over half of the empire's lands. The An Clan, no--An Ruo would be unstoppable. This would bring calamity on not just An Sun's plans, but everyone.
Manchu twirled the dagger in his hand with a profound expression. After a while, he sighed tiredly. At times like this, he wished he had the little strategist by his side.