Ken Liu - The Grace of Kings

Shilué continued to chew and listen, then he swallowed.

“Théca and Puma are brutes who serve King Kuni by risking their lives,” said Shilué. “But what promises can you make to someone civilized, someone who does not wish to die?”

Ah, he wishes to have all the advantages of surrender without any of the risks, thought Luan. And he spoke again.

Mazoti pursued the remnants of King Zato’s army until they reached another river, this one narrower. King Zato had finally learned his lesson. He set up his defenses right on the southern shore, not giving Mazoti a chance to cross.

“If we can’t get to him, we’ll make him come to us,” Mazoti said.

She directed a few hundred men to sneak through the dark forest in secret. Upstream, they felled some large trees quickly and built a dam to hold back the water, creating a large artificial lake.

As the water downstream slowed to a trickle, Mazoti’s men appeared to react with terror. They abandoned their cooking pots and weapons and backed away from the muddy streambed as if in panic.

King Zato gave the order for the Rima army to cross the stream and give chase. “Fithowéo and the spirit of Honored King Jizu must be with us! How else can we explain the sudden, diminished flow? Look at how the men of Dasu flee from our righteous arms! We must cross and punish the invaders.”

The Rima commanders said that this might be a trick and asked King Zato to stay behind with half of Rima’s forces just in case something went wrong.

But King Zato scoffed. “Kon Fiji taught that when victorious, one should pursue with every soldier to show that there is no fear. A righteous army has no need to fear treachery, for the gods will protect them. If Mazoti is righteous and follows the laws of war, she will give us the courtesy of waiting until we have safely crossed before she attacks, the very same benefit we gave her. If she is not righteous and attacks before we are done crossing, then surely she will lose.”

Mazoti waited until about one-third of Rima’s forces had crossed the stream and one-third was in the process of crossing. She ordered the trumpeters to give the order for the soldiers upstream to break their dam. The sudden flood washed the soldiers who were still in the streambed away and stranded the other one-third who were still on the southern shore. Then she gave the order for the “retreating” Dasu troops to counterattack. The Rima soldiers who had completed the crossing were quickly captured.

The remaining forces of King Zato fled in terror, and Mazoti dammed up the river again and walked leisurely across.

“You disobeyed the laws of war,” King Zato said. He knelt before Marshal Mazoti in the Palace of Na Thion, but his voice was defiant. “Have you ever read the books of Kon Fiji?”

“He had some good things to say about government,” Mazoti replied. “But he didn’t know anything about how to fight a war.”

King Zato shook his head sadly. “You cannot win true victory if you don’t follow the laws of war. You are only a woman, after all, and you do not understand the greater principles involved.”

“Right,” Mazoti said, smiling. She didn’t want to execute the old fool. Instead, she sent him to Dimushi, where Kuni Garu might find him entertaining.

Luan Zya came to Na Thion to see Gin Mazoti.

They occupied one of the many bedrooms in the Palace of Na Thion and spent some time not discussing the war.

In the morning, Luan congratulated Mazoti for her swift conquest of Rima and then explained that King Shilué of Faça had agreed to surrender.

“How?”

“I talked him into it,” said Luan, laughing.

Mazoti did not seem pleased at this news. She sat, deep in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Luan asked.

“I’ve fought for months in Rima, and hundreds, thousands of men had to die before I brought Rima under control. You, on the other hand, captured all of Faça by only wagging your tongue. What will Lord Garu think of our relative merit?”

“Gin, you are not seriously jealous, are you?”

Mazoti said nothing. It always seemed that no matter how hard a woman worked, a man could eclipse her with no effort.

“Gin, I have to head back to Dimushi to advise Lord Garu. Can you go to Boama to formally accept the surrender and provide Shilué with the protection that is his condition?”

Gin Mazoti nodded, and she and Luan kissed and parted ways.

The men of Faça did not put up any fight as Marshal Mazoti and her soldiers marched through the highlands. On Shilué’s orders, they were hailed as allies, as the army of Faça’s new protector.

In the palace at Boama, King Shilué welcomed Mazoti with an elaborate banquet. Bare-breasted female dancers were brought out to entertain the honored guest, as was customary. Only when the music began did Shilué realize that this might not be the most appropriate way to entertain this particular marshal.

But Mazoti assured him that it was all right. She would enjoy the show as much as any man. King Shilué toasted her and said that he looked forward to working with her in the service of their common lord.

“Shilué, do you confess your sins?”

Shilué was feeling very drunk, so he wasn’t quite sure that he had heard the marshal correctly.

“What?”

“Your plot to betray King Kuni,” Mazoti said. She unsheathed her sword and killed Shilué on the spot.

As the assembled ministers and generals of Faça stood in shock, Mazoti’s men quickly secured the palace. Outside, the Dasu troops had already seized Boama’s gates and harbors.

Mazoti sent a fast messenger airship back to Dimushi with this note:

Faça has been conquered. The plan for surrender was a trick Shilué used to fool Luan Zya. He had planned to betray you and defect to Mata Zyndu again. But I saw through the ruse and executed him for treason before he could put the plot into motion.

She felt a twinge of guilt, but in war, every victory was good, whether against enemies, friends, or lovers.

BOAMA: THE FIFTH MONTH IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE PRINCIPATE.

Now that Mazoti was in control of both Faça and Rima, as well as tens of thousands of newly surrendered troops, there was a lot of work to do.

People now addressed her as “Queen of Faça and Rima.” She had started it as a joke, but then, since no one else seemed to treat it as a joke, she began to think of herself that way.

She put the troops through war exercises, promoted those capable, asked for demonstrations of sword-fighting techniques from veterans. She distributed pensions to the families of soldiers who died fighting for Dasu and for her. She encouraged Rima’s bladesmiths with new tax breaks — a trick she had learned from Kuni Garu. She toured the ranches and orchards of Faça, promising the people safety.

It was nice to be queen. Everyone listened to her.

Kuni paced back and forth, unable to stay still for even a moment.

“She’s doing a fine job in Boama,” Luan Zya said.

“But what about this title?”

“Lord Garu, you know that I cannot speak of her without bias. You must decide what to do about her claim to the thrones of Faça and Rima while she remains Dasu’s marshal.”