"What happened, Little Chan?" Minister Daiyuu asked, while walking over, as clueless as usual. He patted her shoulder, as if to comfort a child, except it had the opposite effect.
The woman turned around and slapped him right across the face. The sound was loud enough to echo around the room, leaving a deep red mark on the patriarch's cheek. Ignoring the pain in her hand, the woman tearfully exclaimed, "It's your fault! You did this!" She then pushed him aside and stormed away.
The man stood there quietly before feeling his cheek. The red-hot handprint was still firmly there. He had never seen her this angry before. It took him by complete surprise. His heart ached. It hurt to be struck by one's own child, no matter the circumstance. He saw the paper on the desk and picked it up. Reading the first few lines, he realized why she was so angry. His son, Tai Shui, had died! Although he remained emotionless on the outside, his heart was in turmoil. Why did this happen? Where did he go wrong? He had played his cards perfectly. Through his efforts, the Shui Family remained a near-neutral force in this war, sustaining little to no casualties. The prime minister and Minister Keigon were obviously displeased, but there was nothing they could do to force his hand. Detaining him was all they could do. Under his guidance, the Shui Family stayed out of trouble…
No, that was not quite right. He closed his eyes and reflected. His daughter was right. He was not saving the Shui Family… He was saving himself… because he was too afraid of making the wrong choice. There was no deep-seeded reason that made him this way. In fact, he was always like this. Decisions carried risk, and risk carried danger. There was always the potential of making the wrong choice and suffering from it. What if I tripped here and hit my head? What if I choked on food and died? What if… The possibilities were truly endless, so he was always cautious to the extreme. He would rather not decide, than decide poorly. That was his belief. This risk-adverse mentality was exactly why he had been elected to be the next patriarch of the Shui Family. The elder council needed someone to maintain the status quo and stabilize the family. However, his cowardice ultimately led to this result, ultimately led to his son dying… He clenched his fists, as his regrets built up. Like his daughter said, when the time came to decide, but he chose not to… It would be too late to regret.
The message continued by explaining that the Imperial Princesses and Princess Elizabeth were planning a powerful counterattack in the spring with the help of Sword King Sin Quelldown and his two disciples. They could offset the power the Featherwind Sect had. Combined with Princess Ming's extensive geographical knowledge, and Imperian Qiang's influence over the Li Family, the Alzar Kingdom had a high chance of winning the Samfeng Province. The exact details were omitted, since they were wary about the Imperial Council catching on, but Minister Daiyuu got the gist of it. To make this plan truly succeed, they needed more unexpected factors. In order words, they wanted him to betray the Imperial Council. He had expected this. The tone was slightly desperate, so their situation was probably worse than they made it seem. What if he handed this over to the Imperial Council? Or what if this was all an elaborate trap? There was too much risk involved. He decided not to intervene. He was about to toss the paper away, when his cheeks stung again.
The man sighed. First, his wife left him. Then, his son died. And now, his daughter hated him too. His family was falling apart at the seams, and yet he continued to do nothing. He felt ashamed to be the Shui Family's patriarch. What should he do? His heart and mind were in turmoil, as feelings of shame, anger, cowardice, and regret clashed. An hour passed, and he was still rooted in the same spot, agonizing over the right choice. His face was as black as coal. That was how conflicted he was. However, eventually, he exhaled and unclenched his fists. He lost his wife, son, and daughter. What else did he have to lose? For once… he would try to step forward. He would face the future! It was probably the biggest decision he would ever make, and one that would profoundly shape the war. The rest was history.
Using the Featherwind Sect, he informed the Alzar Kingdom and the Shui Family of his intentions. When the Imperial Council called upon them for troops, the Shui Family sent General Songlin, who had a very slow, but sharp personality. They believed he would read between the lines and work to minimize their losses as much as possible. They were correct. During the Battle for the Samfeng Province, General Songlin played a passive role and entered zero battles. Later, during the Siege of the Quiton Gates, he casually withdrew from its defense and weakened the Imperial Council's army. His army was basically unharmed! Prime Minister Pon-Wai was right to call it a conspiracy, but he lacked the proof because Minister Daiyuu was in his captivity, and there was no way he could conspire with the Alzar Kingdom without knowing it. Moreover, even if he could, he would personally never do such a thing. He was that cowardly. Unfortunately, both Prime Minister Pon-Wai and Minister Keigon underestimated him. That was a grave mistake. In the present day, the Imperial Princesses rescued Minister Daiyuu and Minister Chan, while General Songlin discovered the prime minister's location. They were now on their way to capturing the military headquarters and toppling the entire Imperial Council!
As Minister Daiyuu rode in a carriage, he wore a pained expression. Was this really the right decision? He could not help, but second guess himself. Thankfully, his daughter held his hand to comfort him. Although she disliked his cowardice, she did not hate her father. She understood how much courage it required for him to support the Alzar Kingdom. It was not easy. To be honest, even she herself had some reservations too. Could the Alzar Kingdom really be trusted? She could not answer. They were entering uncharted territory. Imperian Qiang looked at his fiancée and chose to say nothing. She must have been under a lot of pressure this past year. Therefore, the best thing to do was settle this battle as quickly as possible!
Chaos erupted across the capital since no one expected an enemy from the rear. General Songlin was both efficient and methodical, despite his appearances. He isolated many lone regiments and divisions, forcing them to surrender. Supply and communication lines were also cut off, which meant no one had a clear picture of what was going on. The sudden switch of thirty thousand allies to enemies created immeasurable confusion. The Imperial Council lost the city bit by bit. As the Shui Family's army converged on the military headquarters, the frontlines stopped receiving orders and were thus paralyzed. Over in the Alzar Kingdom's camp, General Petra noticed the delayed response from the enemy and realized what happened. She smiled, having waited for this very moment. She shouted out her orders, leading the kingdom's army to retaliate with devastating force! Under the renewed pressure, the tides briefly switched. The Imperial Council was losing ground fast!
The Featherwind Sect played a part too, as three of them took flight. While they were too weak to perform another large-scale attack, such as Demon Wind Requiem, they had no need to. Using his Martial Perception, Elder Argo identified everyone who looked important and marked them. Elder Crus and Terus then used their methods to create hundreds of projectiles that rained down on the enemy army. Whoosh! The projectiles were incredibly fast, as they shot across the sky, leaving white trails in their wake. Within seconds, they struck several hundred targets with pinpoint accuracy! Almost no one escaped their capture! As the commanders and generals fell, everyone began to panic. No one knew what to do! General Petra capitalized on this and pushed her offense even further. Much of the enemy army was made from poorly trained civilians, so when their leadership disappeared, their formation collapsed. Entire flanks fell as thousands of people died. It was a bloodbath!