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At that, Po Kandar bowed his head, long and deep. His men, sensing the shift, followed. The dam had broken. "You have my answer," Po Kandar said at last, voice steady. "I will join. Not for you, not for conquest, but for my people. If your Emperor is as you say, then perhaps the path to salvation lies not in clinging to what is broken, but in walking toward what can be built anew."
The Shi brothers exchanged silent looks, each understanding the enormity of the moment.
Shi Xin nodded solemnly. "Then let this be the beginning. Together, we will forge something greater."
Outside, the drums of the fort echoed as orders were given, and the news spread like wildfire among the Champa captives. A lieutenant had chosen. A new path was opening.
Which in that path, the first seeds of the Champa Auxiliaries were planted, not as broken captives forced into servitude, but as men who chose a new banner, a new future, and a new hope.
The conquest of Champa, in that moment, shifted irrevocably. It was no longer a matter of subjugation, but of assimilation. A new chapter was beginning, not with the clash of steel, but with the quiet, powerful sound of a man choosing hope over despair.
The deal had been struck, and Po Kandar, once a lieutenant of Champa and now a man standing on the threshold of a new destiny, wasted no time in honoring his word.
His voice carried great weight among the defeated soldiers who still clung to their pride. Many of them had once bled beside him, shared their meager rations with him, and seen him risk punishment to shield them from the cruelty of incompetent generals. When he stood before them, speaking not as a prisoner but as a leader, his words rippled like fire through dry grass.
"Brothers!" Po Kandar called out, standing upon a raised platform that the Shi Clan had provided for him. The Champa sun gleamed on his scarred armor, and his voice thundered across the camp. "We are beaten, yes. But we are not broken. We have families who wait for us, children who cry for food, widows who pray for their husbands' souls. Shall we throw our lives away clinging to a king who feasts while they starve? Or shall we seize this chance, this chance to build a future where our suffering ends?"
A murmur rose from the crowd, hesitant, fearful, but hungry for hope.
Po Kandar's hand struck his chest. "I have spoken with the generals of the Hengyuan Dynasty. Their Emperor is no tyrant, no selfish glutton. He is a man who feeds his people before himself, who opens schools for the poor, who casts down the corrupt like weeds from a garden! I will join him—not as a slave, not as a prisoner, but as a soldier of a new order. Follow me, and our families will know peace. Our children will know knowledge. Our brothers' deaths will not be in vain!"
The silence that followed was brief, broken by one soldier's cry. "We will follow, Lieutenant!" Then another, and another, until the air was filled with voices shouting in unison. The Champa captives were no longer prisoners.
The conversion was swift and profound. The Champa Auxiliaries unit was formally established, with Po Kandar appointed as its commander by Shi Xin. The unit was integrated, given proper rations and equipment, their morale visibly transforming from sullen resignation to purposeful determination.
Shi Xin, watching from a distance with his brothers Shi Zhi and Shi Hui, exchanged a glance of deep satisfaction. He had gambled on Po Kandar, and it had paid off in full.
That night, the camp celebrated. Fires were lit, pots of rice and meat distributed evenly, and for the first time in weeks, men laughed together without the looming shadow of despair.
The Shi Clan ensured that the Champa Auxiliaries were fed the same rations as Hengyuan soldiers, no more, no less, a gesture that spoke louder than any speech. To men who had suffered under corruption and neglect, it was proof that these new rulers meant what they said.
When dawn broke, Shi Xin summoned Po Kandar to his tent. The eldest Shi brother sat cross legged, maps spread across a low table, the flickering lamplight still burning from his night of study. Shi Zhi and Shi Hui flanked him, their expressions equally intent.
"Po Kandar," Shi Xin began, "we have bound our oaths. Now comes the test of that bond. My army must march to Vijaya, your capital. The swamps and jungles that lie between are treacherous. You know the land better than we. Tell me, what path can we take that will not bleed us with disease and beasts before we even see the city's walls?"
Po Kandar leaned over the maps, his brow furrowed. With a calloused finger, he traced a winding path along the hills, avoiding the darkest stretches of jungle. "Here. The old caravan road, used before the court abandoned it. Traders once carried goods through this route to avoid the swamps. It is longer, but the ground is firm. The rivers nearby give clean water, and the beasts are fewer. If we march there, you will keep your army strong."
Shi Xin nodded, impressed. This was the tangible value of Zhou Yu's strategy made manifest. It wasn't just about adding numbers to their ranks; it was about gaining the intimate knowledge of the land that only a native could provide. This, he realized, was how empires were truly consolidated, not just by conquering land, but by winning the hearts and minds of the people who knew it best. "Good. We march as you suggest."
That day the army rested, feasting on rations and fresh meat gathered from surrounding villages. It was not only for sustenance, but for morale. Hengyuan banners flew high, mingling now with the hastily stitched standards of the Champa Auxiliaries, a sight that filled the men with pride and astonishment alike.
By the next morning, the drums thundered once again. The great host of the Shi Clan, bolstered by their new allies, began its march toward Vijaya.
For seven days they advanced, the earth trembling beneath their disciplined tread. The caravan road proved true to Po Kandar's word. Where once the jungle would have devoured them in sickness and confusion, now the army pressed forward with steady steps. Rivers gave fresh water, hills provided defensible camps, and the beasts of the wild dared not approach such a host.
For Shi Xin, it was a revelation. Not only had they secured allies, but they had gained the very knowledge needed to tame this land. His respect for Po Kandar deepened with each passing day.
At last, on the seventh day, they crested a ridge and beheld Vijaya.
The capital was built on a coastal plain, a city of white washed stone and red tiled roofs, but its beauty was now masked by the grim reality of war. The city gates were sealed shut, a formidable barrier of reinforced wood and iron.
The walls, which from a distance looked imposing, were lined with soldiers, a mix of the royal guard, city militia, and volunteers who had taken up arms in a desperate bid to defend their home. Banners bearing the Champa royal crest fluttered in the humid air. The city bristled with defiance, though to trained eyes it was a mask hiding fear.
Shi Xin reined in his horse at the front of the formation, Shi Zhi, Shi Hui, and Po Kandar at his side. He studied the walls with a soldier's eye, noting the workmanship. At first glance, the defenses seemed formidable, thick stone, reinforced with timber, standing tall. Yet something in the construction nagged at him.
"The walls look high and strong," he remarked, his strategist's eye calculating the cost of a direct assault. "The defenders seem determined. But my instinct tells me otherwise."
Po Kandar, who had ridden to this city countless times to receive orders and report to now dead superiors, let out a short, bitter laugh. "You see well, General. Long ago, our ancestors carved these stones with their own hands, reforged them again and again through war. But in truth, these are the weakest they have ever been."
Shi Zhi and Shi Hui looked at him, surprised. Shi Hui leaned forward on his saddle, incredulous. "You mean to say your king has let the capital's own shield decay? For what?"
"For his own self satisfaction of course," Po Kandar said, his voice laced with a contempt he made no effort to hide. "Our king, Rudravarman IV. He is a glutton, a lecher, and a fool. He surrounds himself with corrupt sycophants who steal the gold meant for the kingdom's upkeep."
"The taxes meant to maintain these walls, to pay for the stone and the mortar and the skilled laborers, line their pockets and fill the king's treasure vaults. There has been no proper maintenance in years. The stone is crumbling beneath the plaster. The wood is rotten. The foundations are weak. If you look closely, you can see the patches, the shoddy repairs done just to maintain the illusion of strength."
Shi Xin's jaw tightened. "So it is as I thought, the corruption goes right to the top," he mused. "Your king's corruption is our ally. Where he has stolen from his own people, we will strike."
Po Kandar's voice softened, tinged with awe. "That is why I was so… moved… when you spoke of your Emperor. The idea of a ruler who purges corruption for the good of the people was like a story from a dream. My own king's sins have doomed us, while your Emperor's justice strengthens you."
Shi Xin nodded, his mind already working. "So, Po Kandar, given this… brittleness… what do you recommend? How do we take Vijaya with minimal loss of life on all sides?"
The lieutenant paused, gazing at the walls he had once sworn to defend. "We siege them. But not for months. A few days will be enough. Let generals army demonstrate its might. Set up the siege engines. Let the thunder of your drums and the sight of your endless ranks fill them with dread."
"The people inside, the soldiers, they know the state of the walls. They know the character of their king. Their morale is a thread waiting to snap. After a heavy bombardment to show we are serious, I will ride forward. I will speak to the men on the walls. I will tell them of the choice I made. I will tell them of our Emperor's vision. I will offer them the same hope you offered me. I believe they will listen. I believe they will open the gates."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0