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Chapter 321 - A Borrowed Weapon

Dom watched on beside Meritamen, with Subutai and Sun Ce on either side of them. Sun Shangxiang fought back and forth with the Spartan Cleombrotus, who didn't give any opportunities or gaps for Sun Shangxiang, regardless of her Rank in the Kingdom. The training swords clashed, whilst Huang Zhong continued to shout instructions and corrections towards her. Opposite them, Tomoe and Cheng Pu stood leaning against the wall of the Training Ground also watching on.

"She's been training since she could walk." Sun Ce commented, both with pride and worry. 

"She is pretty exceptional, better than at least ninety percent of our Warriors." Meritamen complimented, her skill with a weapon almost none existent. Sun Shangxiang clashed her wooden sword against her opponents, causing them both to step back from the clash, a smile now appearing on Cleombrotus' face.

"I would say she is better than a lot of our more junior Generals." Dom agreed with pride, "We have fought a lot and her strength and skills are definitely up there."

"She is, she would struggle against those with more experience though, which is why Cleombrotus is a good choice to fight against her as he has plenty of it, but in terms of skill she is somewhere in the middle of the Heroes. Not that I expect you will allow her to lead an army." Subutai stated seriously.

"I don't think she has the experience to command an army." Sun Ce replied, knowing the question had been for Dom, but wanting to get his opinion across. "She has her personal guard, but they are a guard and not a front line force."

"You could give her a unit similar to that of Abubakar." Meritamen interrupted, "An elite unit that can protect her, whilst also hitting specific targets on a battlefield. That way she only needs to go to the larger battles and won't be placed on the Kingdom's edges like our other Generals."

"She definitely won't be placed anywhere but Riverside." Subutai agreed, not wishing to remove one of his Lord's wives from his side. "But your idea holds Merit. What are your thoughts Lord Lazarus?"

Dom watched as Sun Shangxiang dropped low to try and sweep Cleombrotus' leading leg, he stepped over her and heavily stamped where she had just been. However, Sun Shangxiang was agile, and was now gaining some momentum in their fight. 

"We should speak with her about it, like with Meritamen, she should do what she is best at." Dom agreed, trying to keep a balance between his new wife risking her life, but also doing what she wanted to do. 

"We do have a selection of Elite Warriors that have been appearing over the last few weeks, from the Spartans in our early days, through to these Wudang's now. An elite task force is something that Tomoe had been asking for, but her role as a General is more important these days." Subutai added, "Something for us to consider this afternoon."

The battle soon ended, when Huang Zhong ordered them both to step back. Cleombrotus had the upper hand and there was no need to continue the duel at this point. He then began to give her some tips in swordsman ship, whilst Cleombrotus also explained where she could have countered him in different ways. She listened on intently, with Cheng Pu and Tomoe also walking towards her to add some positive comments. 

Dom and the others continued talking, before a sweaty Sun Shangxiang approached them, a grin on her face with a wet forehead and flushed cheeks. Huang Zhong approached with her, whilst the others began to pass orders out or push for other forces to begin training. Dom realised that they had somehow gathered some of the best from each unit here today, which surprised Dom in the short timeframe they had to put something together. 

"How did I do?" Sun Shangxiang asked as she approached, wiping her fringe with a cloth that one of her guards had just passed to her.

"Impressive as always little sister!" Sun Ce grinned back at her, pride on his face.

"I was asking my husband!" She berated him, before turning to Dom with a big smile.

"I agree with your brother, you definitely have skills." Dom agreed, genuinely impressed by her.

"I meant with the sword and bow!" Sun Shangxiang replied in fake shock, whilst Meritamen beside Dom tried to hold her laughter in at Sun Shangxiang's rude joke. 

"I didn't need to hear that." Sun Ce mumbled to himself, causing Sun Shangxiang to grin in response.

"You were also impressive with them." Dom smiled, a slight red tinge to his cheeks as his Heroes all began laughing. "I also noticed that one of my swords may have gone for a walk this morning?"

"I didn't really get chance to use it unfortunately, but it seemed lonely on your wall." She smiled in response, "I thought it deserved a chance to show off as I always see you have your Zhan Lu on your waist."

"The Harpe is an excellent sword, it was a gift from Thucydides when we rescued his Town." Dom agreed, "The Zhan Lu has had more usage on the battlefields we have been on, but the Harpe is by no means a worse weapon."

"Then you wouldn't mind your wife holding on to it for protection then?" She teased, whilst Dom felt defeated before he even had chance to fight. In the background, the Warriors began training in groups, different to the normal Legionary training that took place in the Training Camp. Pullo was shouting instructions as different Warriors tried weapons they didn't normally specialise in. 

"Let her have it." Meritamen added to the conversation, a smile also on her face, "If you need it back, she can lend it to you."

"Doesn't that mean I need to get you a gift as well?" Dom asked her, whilst the Heroes all watched on at how Dom tried to deal with his two challenging wives. 

"I've got my Dire Wolves for now, but I will let you know when I need something else." She smiled, before winking towards Sun Shangxiang. The two seemingly becoming almost best friends in their short time together. 

"Please look after the Harpe for me then." Dom explained to her. Reluctant to part with one of his prized swords, even if it was to his wife. He still had his Slaying Spear and his Zhan Lu, whilst Sun Shangxiang would continue to leave the Harpe on his weapons rack in his room.

"It's a sword that was supposedly crafted by the gods of the Greeks." Sun Ce stated in a serious tone, almost warning her to be careful with it. "Make sure to respect it or we may have some very angry Hoplites. They won't be able to take it out on you as you are the Lady, however they can still complain to me."

"I will look after her well!" Sun Shangxiang promised, whilst Huang Zhong beside her shook his head, seemingly taking a student under his wing. He had already agreed to help with Hua Rong's Archery Skills, but he now also had Sun Shangxiang to train with multiple weapons. 

Sun Shangxiang sat on Dom's other side, whilst Subutai got up from his seat and departed, heading towards the Town Centre where he had some preparation to do with Xun You for the later meeting. They all watched as Huang Zhong, Tomoe and Hua Rong began pushing those gathered through some more serious training, before also departing to get themselves ready for the meeting. Dom soon followed with his two wives, as they headed to the Palace to greet the Military Heroes that were all due to gather. 

As they passed the Docks, they saw that a Bireme was docked, with General Qin Ming walking down the ramp with two guards. Another Bireme was also docked, who ever had used it having already disembarked and within the City. Dom was surprised that Qin Ming was here, as he suspected that Subutai would have kept the deputy Generals with their units, but it seemed he had planned a full meeting. Dom hoped that the Centurions that had been left in charge had cool heads, especially in the south. 

They soon arrived at the Palace, the smell of food hitting them as they entered. Ban Jieyu had kept the kitchens busy in preparation for the large number of Heroes that were due to gather, a number that dwarfed the Civilian Heroes from the day before. Sun Shangxiang headed upstairs first, a bath having been prepared for her in her room, whilst Meritamen soon followed her up to also tidy herself up. 

Dom headed directly in to the Palace meeting space, sitting on his raised seat whilst he waited for the Heroes to arrive. Ban Jieyu had one of the maids bring him a plate of some sweet snacks, whilst she spoke with him whilst they waited.

"Soon Riverside would have grown from a small town in the wilderness to a small Kingdom." She said to him with a tinge of pride in her voice. "It's exciting to be at the start of a journey, rather than living during the stages of corruption that follow."

"I'm hoping that we can create something that avoids all of that." Dom agreed, understanding that it was the role of Shang Yang to create something that could be ever lasting, even if Dom suspected he would have stopped playing long before anything like that came to fruition. 

"The right ideals are always important." She smiled, "Congratulations on the pregnancy, an Heir is important. I was unfortunately unable to produce one for my husband."

"It is both a celebration and a terrifying thought at the same time." Dom replied honestly, always appreciative of Ban Jieyu. She had brought a motherly feel to Riverside since her arrival, caring for the house that he and his wives lived in. She was more than capable of becoming a Hero Grade herself, however seemed comfortable with the current pace of her life. 

Subutai soon arrived, dressed smartly in a light fur outfit with a fur hat. Xun You was also dressed smartly in Taoist robes, with a couple roles of parchment under his arm. The two seemed to have been in deep conversation, but smiled at Dom when they saw him. They too the top two seats on the left, with Meritamen and Sun Shangxiang being given seats at the top of the table on the right when they arrived. 

"Is everyone coming?" Dom asked as they sat down, with Xun You placing his parchments on the table. 

"Everyone except for Genghis." Subutai laughed, talking about his Eagle that was often spotted flying high above Riverside or hunting in the nearby fields. 

"We have a Senior Centurion in place with each army, Banas has taken over from Qin Ming, whilst Octavian has taken over from Liao Hua. They are both senior enough to be able to make important decisions, whilst making sure our forces are alert if needed." Xun You explained, reassuring Dom. 

The three spoke, before his two Wives arrived. Meritamen was dressed in an attractive but simple toga, whilst Sun Shangxiang wore tight fitting robes with some emphasis on protecting key areas. Soon after the other Heroes began to arrive. Su Fei and Tomyris were first, taking seats beside Sun Shangxiang. They were followed by Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, Cheng Pu and Cheng Zi. Su Fei made space for Sun Ce to sit beside his sister, whilst Zhou Yu headed to the other side of the table and sat beside Xun You. 

Shortly after, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Qin Ming and Huang Xin arrived. The two deputy Generals having both had important roles recently in the South and hoping that they could continue with that. Behind them was Lu Fang and Guo Sheng, both with paler skin than the last time Dom had seen them due to the large amount of time they had spent exploring the tunnels in Noctus. 

Tomoe then arrived, flanked by Zhao Yun and Hua Rong. The three of them took seats on the same side as Zhou Yu. Tomoe seemed in deep conversation with Zhao Yun, whilst Hua Rong listened in intently. Xun Yan then arrived with Uriah, the two Generals in charge with the defence of Riverside, with Xun Yan and Xun You sharing a nod in greeting across the room. Artemisia also arrived, having been invited, with Crassus beside her, neither were Military Heroes but had both been invited for later conversations.

The last to arrive were the junior officers, with Abubakar leading in the new arrivals that Dom hadn't met yet. The two son's of Subutai that had arrived, Tengziin and Wengzi shared a similar look of their father, both tall, muscular and intimidating. Behind them was Caeso Quinctius, the attractive son of Lucius, Dom suspected he was successful with the ladies and could see a level of self belief in his eyes. At the rear was Spargapises, the son of Tomyris, who seemed nervous at the company around him, having been warned by his mother to be on his best behaviour and avoid any drinking during the meeting. 

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