Enlightened Empire

Chapter 349: The End of His Patience

As he sat and ate some hot soup to warm his body on this icy cold day, Corco looked at the picture outside his tent. Beneath a sky as clear and blue as ancient ice, he could see the goal of his army’s latest trek. The town of Kapra stood tall, hidden behind its high walls, with the copper hill and the castle of House Ogulno in the center. Although he didn’t enjoy what he had to do next, there really wasn’t a choice, not after what he had learned from the prisoners.

After the first prisoner had cracked, the investigation had lasted for most of the day, until Corco had a somewhat complete picture of what the warriors had been doing at the embankment. Once again, his worst fears had been confirmed.

According to his captives, they were all warriors of House Ogulno, all of them sent to destroy the embankment before Corco’s army appeared. They had been instructed to drown his entire army if possible, but they hadn’t expect him to be careless enough to march without proper scouting up ahead.

In case their first plan failed as they had expected, they were supposed to simply break open the embankment early, to slow down Corco’s advance towards the eastern front. Now he knew what their plans had been, though the reason for their actions remained hazy. Why would Ogulno want to slow him down by a few days? However, the warriors had revealed another bit of information that gave the king more clues, and pushed him beyond concern and towards anger.

According to them, Kapra was supplying the Arcavians in the midland hills with food, water and even winter clothing and animals. With a stable and generous supply station right next to their position, it was no wonder they dared to attack into an unknown region during winter. Before, Corco had wondered why his enemies would choose to attack during winter of all things. Now, everything was slowly starting to make sense, though there were still many unanswered questions.

Why go through so much trouble, just so the Arcavians could maraud the poorest border territories of the southern kingdom? Since they wouldn’t really attack Kapra, which was the only rich territory in the east Corco’s lands, they didn’t stand to gain much material benefits from their attacks. They could do something more meaningful from a strategic perspective if they took any of the other estate capitals or traveled further inland, but their numbers were too small for that. So what was their real goal? Most importantly, what did his uncle Ogulno stand to gain from this?

Since Ogulno’s plans for the future were still a mystery, Corco decided to simply come here to Kapra and ask him himself. Thus, he had left a thousand soldiers behind at the embankment, to prevent further tampering. Then, he traveled along his new highways into Utusku, where he left another thousand behind to help Lord Macuy deal with the Arcavian raiders in the east. Finally, with the rest of his army, he crossed the river along a major bridge and marched on Kapra.

Here on Ogulno land, his uncle hadn’t allowed Corco to build his highway, so the roads were horrible and their speed slowed down a lot in the snow. Though at least, the distance wasn’t far and they still brought their snow shoes to pursue the Arcavians in the wilderness. All in all, it still only took them four days to arrive near the city of Kapra. Now they were waiting in a camp outside, while Corco’s envoys announced his arrival to his uncle. Ogulno’s response to the arrival of his king would tell a lot about his attitude.

Just as the king finished his bowl of soup, he saw that response arrive in the distance. From out of the town’s gates came a group of people marching under the flag of House Ogulno. They weren’t nearly enough to try any sort of attack, so they could only be return envoys sent by his uncle. A short while later, Corco sat opposite their spokesperson inside his tent.

“King Corcopaca’s presence on the Ogulno estate is an honor for House Ogulno. This servant wishes to offer his greetings.”

For a while, Corco stared at the bowing man in front of him. He had the lanky stiffness many advisors of the lords shared. The king had seen the man before, but he couldn’t quite remember the context.

“Yeah, glad to be here,” he said. “So who are you?”

“This servant’s name is Qirao, King. As a minor advisor to Lord Ogulno, this servant is here to represent the lord today.”

“Ah, I remember you,” Corco said. “You’re the guy who always makes things difficult for me when my people try to reconcile with your estate.”

Once he said his name, Corco finally recalled his unpleasant past with Advisor Qirao. Over the years, Saniya’s government had tried multiple times to reconcile with House Ogulno. After all, having an enemy in your own country was a ticking time bomb. However, they also couldn’t just let one of their subordinate lords walk all over them, or the other lords would no longer respect their king. As a result, they had asked House Ogulno for minor concessions and some public display of obedience, so both sides could step back with their heads held high and cooperate to everyone’s benefits.

Yet in all that time, Ogulno didn’t visit Saniya even once. Instead, he would always send this Advisor Qirao, who would act like a stubborn child and oppose whatever Corco offered, often with no explanation. Again and again he had offended the king, as if he was his superior, rather than the other way round.

Now that Ogulno was sending out this advisor again to represent him, Corco wasn’t expecting much of these talks.

“Ahaha, this servant merely represented the interests of his house, and had to insist on his house’s benefits.” Advisor Qirao rose without any orders from Corco, and laughed frankly, in complete confidence. The king chose to ignore the grandstanding nonsense. Arguing with this guy about etiquette hadn’t gotten him anywhere in previous years. That wouldn’t change today.

“And what are those interests today?” he asked instead.

“Lord merely wishes to know what leads king to this remote corner of his kingdom? After all, Lord did not send for an invitation, and while he welcomes his nephew’s visit, he cannot help but be concerned about a foreign army entering his lands.”

“Wait, weren’t you the guys who asked for help from the bandits?” Corco asked in faked confusion. Was this guy really accusing him of an invasion? “You sent your Governor Mayu to speak for you and everything, right? Well, we’re here now, to help you out with your bandit problem. So how about you open those gates of yours and let my soldiers in, so we can help defend your land?”

A great struggle broke out on the face of the advisor. Clearly, his master didn’t want him to lower the city’s defenses. As petty and deceitful people, they would of course always expect the worst of others and would never lower their guard like that. Though this time, they were right to worry, of course. Were he to enter the city, Corco fully expected to find some Arcavians inside Kapra’s walls. Maybe his uncle just needed some time to hide them. After a long while of thought, the advisor’s face smoothed, and he replied.

“The issues of the bandit attacks have already been resolved. King need not bother. However, Master is grateful for King’s support, and will send thanks to Saniya in due time.”

“...okay… but that still isn’t a reason to not let me in, right?” Corco insisted. He had been far too nice to his uncle for far too long. This time, he wouldn’t be the bigger man. He wasn’t that tall anyways. “It’s the middle of winter, and I just finished a long journey across the entire country. Do you want your king and his warriors to stay out in the cold and freeze to death? What sort of hospitality is this?”

“Of- Of course not,” the advisor stammered as his eyes flew around the tent. “However, at this moment, Kapra’s streets are dirty. After all, Kapra’s warriors have just been deployed to drive back the bandits and they left behind a horrid mess, not fitting for a king to view. Everything needs to be readied for King’s arrival, or how would such negligence reflect on House Ogulno?”

“I don’t mind. I’m not that picky when it comes to stuff like that. Just open the gate.”

Despite the advisor’s best attempts, Corco still insisted. Qirao’s shaky smile finally disappeared completely and he began to sweat, despite the cold.

“It really is not that simple,” he tried again. “Without any notice of King’s arrival, nothing is ready. The last thing Lord Ogulno wants is to sour the relationship with King by allowing an assassination attempt through his own negligence. Thus, please allow this servant more time to prepare. The king’s safety needs to be guaranteed after all.”

“Which is why I’ve brought four thousand soldiers with me. They can guarantee my safety even if every warrior in Kapra attacks me. With that, my safety should be guaranteed, right? So just open the gate.” Corco smiled as he watched the squirming advisor. His not so subtle hint at Ogulno’s attempt to kill him made the poor man even more nervous. This was getting fun.

“Unfortunately, there is not enough room to accommodate all of these men inside the castle. They are warriors after all, and need to receive the proper treatment they deserve. However, if king enters with only a small group-”

“Yes, I would feel much safer without all my guards.” Corco’s sarcastic voice interrupted Qirao for the first time. “And they’re not really warriors anyways. They don’t really care where they sleep, so long as it’s inside the city. Open the gate."

“However-”

“Open the gate.”

“This servant really cannot-”

“Open the gate.”

“This-”

“Open the gate. Open the gate. Open the fucking gate!” Corco slammed his armrest and stood up. For the first time in the conversation, he got loud. “What, I’m not even allowed to visit a city in my kingdom? Pretty please? If you have nothing to hide, how can this be so hard?”

He stared at the advisor for several seconds, but the man remained stubborn.

“This servant is inconsolable,” Qirao said in the end. Maybe it was unfair to blame him for everything. After all, his master was the one who had instructed him. With a sigh, Corco decided to drop the act.

“Alright. I guess that’s enough. I’ve honestly had it with your bullshit, and with your master’s bullshit as well. So let’s talk truth, for once. Four days ago, I caught your warriors trying to flood my army. And I got them to talk.”

Eyes wide open, the advisor’s head shot back up.

“King, this-”

“You better shut your mouth right now, before you make things even worse for you. Treason. Insubordination. Conspiracy with the enemy. Attempted regicide. Any of these charges are enough to get your master executed, and I have proof for all of them. I came here to demand some answers from my uncle. If he can explain himself properly, and maybe finally bow his stubborn head and make some concessions, we could leave this shit behind us and work together. I mean, we really don’t need to fight each other when we’re surrounded by enemies, right? So I was willing to overlook him this once, so long as he sees the error of his ways. But I see that he doesn’t even have the guts to meet me in person.”

“Unfortunately, Master is occupied-”

“-trying to hide the Arcavians in his closet, I know,” Corco interrupted the advisor’s nonsense. “I’ve tried to cooperate with my uncle in good faith, I honestly did. In the end, he exploited my goodwill every time, smacking me in the face so he can feel like a big man. Then I tried some sanctions, to make him give in and act appropriate to his station, like a lord should towards a king. That only made him more stubborn. Like a little kid who doesn’t get his favorite toy, throwing a tantrum and acting as if he deserved better just because he was born a few years earlier than me. I thought that maybe he would cool down, and with time, he’d realize how much damage he’s doing to his family by randomly opposing his own nephew like this. Or for that matter, how much damage he’s doing to his house by opposing the guy with all the guns and all the gold. I’ve waited for years and it’s not getting better. Even worse, it looks like he’s now actively scheming against me, trying to launch a civil war when we’re already surrounded by enemies. I’m done. This was your master’s last chance, and he’s wasted it, like the waste he is. Tell Lord Ogulno that he is to stand trial for his crimes. Until he comes out and faces the music, there will be no peace. If he’s still not out once my cannons arrive, I’ll level his little copper hill, and wipe out whatever inheritance he has left after a lifetime of squandering. Now fuck off, and pray that your master has some sense, for once in his life.”

Terrified of the king’s rage, the envoy ran back towards the city. Most likely, Qirao would already know his master’s reply. As far as Corco was concerned, there was absolutely no suspense. With a heavy heart, he sat back down and began to plan for his siege on Kapra.