Chong's eyes were fixed on Hye, who remained defiant. He understood the reason for Hye's presence simply by reading his expression, but he couldn't grasp why Hye believed his arrival would bring peace to the city's civilians. The tension in the room had peaked, and those with something to say had said it. Chong rose and approached Hye, a solemn look on his face.
"I see why you're here," Chong said, his voice laced with the weariness of a veteran. "But your hope won't stop the inevitable. This is war. There are no pretty outcomes." He sighed deeply. "Every foot of land is marked by the sacrifice of a son, a husband, a father, a brother."
Hye's gaze locked with Chong's. "That's why I'm here—to offer a way to prevent that unnecessary loss."
Dae rose from his seat. "You've called yourself a messenger. Now, give us your message."
"Tie a piece of white cloth on your door," Hye said simply. "The Magoli soldiers will not harm or search any home with the cloth."
"I don't see how a piece of white cloth will stop the Magoli," Xao said, his voice laced with venom. He gritted his teeth. "Have you forgotten what they did in the past? They rape... they murder... they burn..."
"This time," Hye's voice was firm and unwavering, "there will be no such thing."
"Young man," Chong asked, his tone skeptical, "how can you possibly be sure?"
"Because I believe Chinua won't break her promise to me."
"You make it sound like the Magoli are definitely going to take Nue-Li City," Nta said with feigned indifference.
Hye's gaze swept over Dae, then back to Chong and the three captains. "This is a war you will not win," he stated with absolute certainty, "because the general leading the army is not General Batzorig."
Chong and his subordinates were taken aback. "Not Batzorig? Then who?" Chong asked, his voice sharp.
"Chinua is the general leading the army," Hye replied, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "You will face a general unlike anyone you've met. Chinua will hit you with a full force that's always three steps ahead. Nue-Li City will fall the moment she attacks."
"I don't care how much you praise this general," Xao said with a mocking laugh. "I've never even heard of her."
Hye turned to Xao, a calm smile on his face. "Do you believe your arrow machines can hold the city walls?"
"Of course," Xao scoffed. "They always have."
Hye's smile grew wider, but his sigh was full of knowing pity. "Chinua has already figured out how to destroy them." He looked at the four men before him, his demeanor turning serious. "You can defend this city to the last man, but my advice remains the same."
"And why would we follow your advice?" Nta asked, his voice sharp with skepticism.
"Because my idea is the only way to save the most vulnerable from a massacre," Hye replied.
"Young man, how can you be so certain that a piece of cloth will keep the Magoli soldiers from harming the citizens?" Chong pressed.
"As I said before," Hye's voice was firm, "it's because the person leading the Magoli army is Chinua."
"And who is this Chinua?" Long demanded, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"The Eastern General of Hmagol." A proud smile touched Hye's lips. "Right now, Hmagol's Eastern General is at your southern city gate. A large group of Magoli soldiers has also positioned itself between Nue-Li and Zaoging, ready to attack the city or cut off reinforcements. And if my prediction is correct, the messengers you sent for help never reached Zaoging."
Long's jaw dropped, a single, stunned whisper escaping him. "The general who defeated the Razaasia army in Hosha City... she's here..."
A stunned silence filled the meeting room as Chong and his men absorbed the news. They had just learned that one of Hmagol's most formidable generals was at their doorstep, having accomplished the impossible by leading an army over Whitefang Peak.
"This is why Nue-Li City will fall," Hye said, his voice a grim reminder. "For every two steps of preparation you take, Chinua has already prepared two steps ahead of you."
Xao's gaze snapped to Hye. "Then who the hell are you?" he demanded, his voice a low growl.
Hye simply smiled. "I am just an ordinary man who wishes to prevent unnecessary death."
Nta looked at Chong, then back at Hye. "Then I suppose this ordinary man, so concerned with preventing unnecessary death, won't mind spending some time in our jail cell. We'll decide what to make of your message once we've come to an agreement."
Hye smiled. "I don't mind at all. Whether you reach an agreement or not, Nue-Li City will fall."
After the soldier had led Hye away, Chong, Dae, and the three captains sat down to continue their discussion.
"So what do we know about this Eastern General of Hmagol?" Chong asked, looking at his subordinates. "Does anyone have any information other than the fact that she's a woman?"
The three captains shook their heads in unison.
"While we may not know her fighting style," Long said, his voice low, "there's one thing we can be sure of: the man sitting in our jail cell is not just an 'ordinary man' as he claims."
"So keeping him alive gives us a bargaining chip," Nta said.
"And now that we know the enemy between us and Zoaging is indeed the Magoli, sending a messenger for help is impossible," Dae added grimly.
"General," Long said, his voice dropping to a low tone. "I just thought of something."
Chong turned to him. "What is it, Captain?"
"I volunteer to walk out of the city toward Zoaging with a piece of white cloth."
"What?" the men said in unison.
"Captain," Chong said, his voice thick with worry. "This... this is too great a risk. I cannot allow it."
"General," Long responded, his voice filled with a quiet ambition. "If I make it to Zoaging, this plan benefits us in two ways. First, it will prove that the Magoli soldiers will abide by the word of the man in our jail cell. Second, our message will reach Zoaging and reinforcements will come to our aid."
Nta grabbed Long's arm. "But this is just one man's word! What if it's a trap? What if this is their plan all along?"
"We're running out of options, Nta," Long said. He turned to Chong. "General, what I'm about to ask you may be inhumane, but if I walk out of the city alone, my chances of reaching Zoaging are zero. If I walk out with civilians, my chances increase to fifty percent."
Chong let out a heavy sigh. "I understand... when do you plan to leave?"
"Today," Long replied. "If the Magoli are attacking us in two days, we don't have much time."
Chong waved to a soldier, who quickly rushed into the meeting room. "Tell my wife to prepare herself and the children. They will be leaving Nue-Li City with Captain Long."
"General!" the men said in a single, horrified chorus.
Chong exhaled slowly. "If any civilian must be sacrificed for Nue-Li City, let it begin with my own family."
At the northern city gate, a small group of twenty civilians—including Chong's family of five—waited for him and his subordinates. Chong made his way toward his wife, children, and parents.
"Madame," he said with a heavy sigh, "take the children and my parents and head for Zoaging with Captain Long. I'm sorry that I didn't give you a choice in this."
Chong's wife smiled gently. "Since the day I married you, you have never asked me to do anything against my will. I am your wife and a Ginmiao. I am willing to do this for you and for the kingdom." She looked at her older children. "Help me take care of your father."
Chong gently tied a piece of white cloth on his two youngest children's right hands. He touched their faces, a deep sorrow in his heart as he sent them toward a trap they could not comprehend.
Long stood behind Chong and said, "General, we are ready."
Chong gave his two youngest children one last hug before rising to his feet. He turned to Long, gently tapping his upper arm. "Good luck, Captain," he said with a smile, then faced the soldier at the gate. "Open it!"
"Good luck brother," Nta said with a smile.
"I know what's waiting for me out there," Long said, his voice a low, steady rumble that cut through the frigid air. He didn't look at the faces of his comrades, but instead kept his gaze fixed on the city wall. "This is the only way to get you all out." He paused, the heavy silence stretching for what felt like an eternity, and then he simply added, "If I came back with reinforcement, you owe me a jar of rice wine."
Nta let out a soft chuckle. "You got it."
The soldiers obeyed, swinging the gate open. Long and the twenty civilians slowly walked out of Nue-Li City, their belongings slung over their backs. They were headed for Zaoging, fully aware they were walking directly into the path of a large Magoli force.
Watching Long, his family, and the civilians slowly walk out of the northern gate, Chong sighed. "I've shed my armor and sheathed my sword, not to surrender, but to bypass the gates of hell," he murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Good luck, Captain..."