Mingzhe had reluctantly returned to his forces several days after rushing to Eirian's aid. Both he and Chenzhou had waited those several days to make sure the tribes weren't going to try again before Eirian's army was ready, but once her strength had returned, there was no legitimate reason to stay.
It was the first time he'd ever felt a true reluctance to return to his duties. Especially since it seemed like Eirian was having an issue with one of her sub-commanders. Mingzhe didn't know much about Wen Chunhan or even about the Wen family, but they were clearly aligned with the Yangs.
He sought out Yang Hikari as soon as he'd returned, and the troops that had accompanied him were sent off to rest.
He'd left Hikari in charge when he'd headed north, although the commander hadn't been completely on board with his choice to go. He found the other man bent over the day's reports in the command tent, and a look of relief came over his pointed features when Mingzhe swept the curtains aside and entered.
"Finally. I was worried you'd been ambushed on the way back." Hikari rose to greet him, bowing, and after a moment of hesitation, stepped aside to let Mingzhe take the seat that was rightfully his. "You look exhausted. You should get some rest. I can finish the rest of this."
But Mingzhe was too wired from the trip to sleep just yet and shook his head as he took his seat. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Nothing important." Hikari took a seat across from him, dragging a chair over from the planning table next to their travel atlas. "Three patrols encountered small tribal forces, but the skirmishes were short, with minimal losses on either side."
One knot of worry in Mingzhe's chest unwound and released.
There were still a dozen more left, but one less was something.
"The reports are here." Hikari moved a pile of scrolls closer to Mingzhe's hands. "I set them aside with my own observations. I know you'll want to read them."
Mingzhe mustered up a smile. "Thank you." He picked up one of the scrolls and broke the seal with his nail.
"How did things go up north?" Hikari had been Mingzhe's friend since they were teenagers, and he'd heard more than most about Mingzhe's frustrations with Lord Ye before Eirian and before Lord Ye had become Chenzhou. He'd been wary of the changes in Mingzhe and Chenzhou's relationship, worried about a friend, and Mingzhe did appreciate it, but he also didn't like anyone weighing in on his relationships without him asking them to.
"They went fine." Mingzhe sighed. "The battle ended not long after we arrived."
"Then you made the difference." Hikari smiled, encouraging. "You made the right choice to go."
Mingzhe looked up from the report of the first skirmish. "I know. I think she would have won regardless. The tribes were in complete chaos and disorder, and it's nearly impossible to come back from that in a pitched battle. Eirian's magic made a measurable difference."
Hikari frowned at the mention of her magic. "I see…It was lucky they chose her force to attack then."
Mingzhe frowned. "I don't know. It seems too coincidental that they'd attack the one force led by the least experienced commander."
"You think that's why they chose her, not the magic?"
"Her magic is not well known. At least, not outside the Camelia." Mingzhe put down the scroll, pensive. "The tribes don't have much to do with magic. And according to Eirian and her forces, they were very surprised when she displayed her magic. After they saw it, Eirian said it was like they lost their minds, attacking without thought or care."
Hikar leaned back, chin resting on his fist as he thought. "The tribes are simple-minded. And traditional. They avoid change, and really, anyone who doesn't share their lifestyle. All the stories they have about magic and mystery are fairy tales used to scare children out of leaving the tribes. It's not surprising they would want to destroy it when it turned out to be real." Hikari had been fighting them as long as Mingzhe, and he knew a great deal about the inner workings of the various tribes.
The knowledge was hard won, as Mingzhe knew he'd lost several close friends and family members, including two siblings, over the years. It had left Hikari and most of his family bitter towards the tribes.
Not that they were the only ones, but enough that Mingzhe had long learned to take the family's opinion of the tribes with a grain of salt.
Hikari was right about their simplicity, though, at least historically. They had proven they could learn and adapt recently, even if it took them a while to get there.
Beng Shai was proof of that.
"We need to start re-evaluating what we know about the tribes." Mingzhe gave Hikari a long look, waiting for the other man to nod in agreement. "It's clear things have changed, and we need to change too."
"I agree the tribes have changed, but that change is Beng Shai. Once he's dead, they'll go back to the way they've been for the last thousand years." Hikari seemed so sure Mingzhe wanted to believe him, but inside, a part of him knew that the tribes had changed too much to forget it all. Some of it may be, but not all of it. "We need to remove Beng Shai." Hikari insisted. "Leaders among the tribes don't last long. His father's tenure was surprising, but it still ended before he made it twenty years."
"Beng Shai has already proved to be the exception to many rules." Mingzhe cracked open the report for the second skirmish. "We shouldn't assume he won't outlive us."
"We could ensure it."
The ease with which Hikari suggested it surprised Mingzhe. As much as they targeted the leaders of the tribes on the battlefield, they didn't practice assassination off of it. It was an unspoken rule of honor in Sorrow that assassination was a coward's choice.
Which was probably the only thing that had stopped Eirian's father from trying to assassinate his brother, and was why Queen Helena had been able to punish those responsible for the deaths of her children so terribly.
"We do not assassinate, Hikari." Mingzhe's tone was sharp. Enough so that Hikari inadvertently straightened in his chair.
~ tbc