Victory without bloodshed

The Magic and Martial Empire, within a palace standing upon the snowy mountains.

“My lord, the City of Death has officially declared war on the Nas Empire. Given the strength of Nas's forces, I fear they will hardly be able to withstand the assault. Should we perhaps warn the City of Death?” An elderly man dressed as a mage was reporting the situation in the City of Death to Odin, who sat upon the throne above.

“No need for concern. As long as the balance of power on the continent remains unchanged, there is no reason for us to intervene in these imperial disputes. Let them fight, if they wish,” Odin replied calmly from the throne.

“Yes, then I will take my leave.” With that, the old man withdrew from the great hall.

“Mo Fei, oh Mo Fei! You had best know when to stop, or else…” Odin’s eyes suddenly flashed with a cold intensity.

...

At the border between the City of Death’s territory and the Nas Empire.

Facing the army of the City of Death on the frontier, every general commanding Nas’s forces found themselves cursing the ministers who had advised the emperor to provoke such an enemy. Why did those damned men ever stir up trouble with them?

Barring a desperate strategy of overwhelming numbers, they could think of no way to halt the advance of the ominous heavy cavalry, who seemed wreathed in the aura of death itself. Over a thousand imperial mages had been assembled at the front lines, but the range of those massive crossbows wielded by the enemy’s cavalry was more than double the effective distance of the mages’ spells. Behind the enemy lines, even larger siege crossbows loomed—a clear sign that their entire army was already within range.

Should battle be joined, the mages would undoubtedly be the first to fall. Could their own troops possibly protect them?

Heaven, why? Why must we provoke a war so devoid of hope?

Just then, a chilling war cry erupted from the ranks of the City of Death: “Wind! Wind! Wind!”

As the cry rang out, a piercing sound split the air. Instinctively, the general shouted, “Protect the mages—!”

Fifteen hundred arrows swept away nearly five hundred mages in a single volley. As the general stared in stunned horror, the chant, “Wind! Wind! Wind!” rose again, followed by another shriek of arrows. The remaining mages, still in chaos, now faced utter annihilation.

Gazing upon the mages’ bodies, each pierced through by immense bolts, which continued on to claim the lives of nearly three hundred nearby soldiers, the general’s heart sank completely.

He knew that for the rest of his life—if he survived this battle—he would bear the guilt of over a thousand mages’ deaths.

Mo Fei watched the turmoil at the enemy’s rear and felt a tangled mixture of emotions. With a single volley, the enemy had lost nearly two thousand men. If those siege crossbows were fired into the heart of the gathered army…

As Mo Fei hesitated to give the order for further attack, the enemy’s formation parted. A general dismounted, cast aside his helmet, and strode alone toward the front lines of the City of Death.

“Let him through,” Mo Fei ordered quietly.

Instantly, the ranks of the City of Death shifted, opening a path. Once the general had passed, the way closed behind him.

“Please, spare them,” the general pleaded in anguish. “As for me, do as you will, my lord.”

“They are my enemies. Why should I spare them? As for you, General, we will settle this on the battlefield,” Mo Fei replied coldly.

“I will order them to lay down their arms and return home. They will pose no further obstacle to the City of Death.”

“Very well. If they lay down their arms, they are no longer my enemies. But I cannot allow them to return home just yet,” Mo Fei sighed in relief. “Until the war is over, they must remain here.”

“Seventy percent of the Nas Empire’s armed forces, and all of its mages, are assembled here. Beyond this plain, the land stretches unbroken all the way to the capital. There are no further obstacles to halt your armored knights. Only three thousand elite troops remain in the capital.”

“General, move your troops to the plain beyond the mountain and camp there. Do not act without my command, or else…”

“Rest assured, my lord,” the general replied.

Thus did one hundred and twenty thousand elite troops of the Nas Empire surrender without a fight. News of Mo Fei’s forces advancing straight for the imperial capital spread throughout the empire. One hundred and twenty thousand against one hundred thousand—yet with only two thousand mages dead, the battle was already over. What manner of army was this? All the empires began to ponder the words brought by their envoys.

Throughout every nation, preparations for a new military revolution began to take shape. The City of Death, with its unprecedented crossbows and siege weapons, had forced a mighty army to capitulate without resistance. Every empire that saw these weapons quickly dedicated their resources to study and imitation. It would not be long before the continent’s balance of power was restored. Only, none could be sure whether the City of Death possessed even deadlier weapons yet unseen by the world.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned in the capital city of Obuzhi. The surrender of an entire corps of one hundred and twenty thousand elite troops shattered the confidence of the thirty thousand defenders in the imperial city.

It was too late to summon reinforcements from elsewhere. Besides, if such a massive force had collapsed, could the empire ever again raise a competent, battle-ready army?

“Heaven has doomed my empire…” After a long, despairing sigh, the emperor of Nas leapt to his death from the palace. The imperial palace descended into chaos. Soon after, the royal family was slaughtered by mutinous troops within the palace. Not long after, as the City of Death’s army approached, the city was surrendered without a fight.

Mo Fei sat upon the imperial throne in the palace of the Nas Empire. “This seat is terrible—there’s no support for my back, the armrests are too far apart. Sitting here is pure torture.”

“If the chair’s bad, just swap it out,” muttered Cain. “Why keep sitting there if it’s uncomfortable? Who would be so foolish?”

“Good point, Cain,” Mo Fei replied with a smile. “You’re bigger than me—why don’t you try it? Maybe it’ll suit you.”

“I’m not sitting there. That’s your seat,” Cain retorted. He had already agreed with the elder Ouf: once the Nas Empire was taken, the Death Empire would be established.

“Heh heh…” Mo Fei chuckled. “Cain, how do you think we should govern this empire now?”

“That’s none of my business. That’s for you and those two to figure out. I’ll just command the troops. Don’t ask me—I wouldn’t know,” Cain replied indifferently.

“By the way, did you handle the edict I asked for—posting the five-year tax exemption across the Nas Empire?”

“The job you gave me? It’s been done for a while.”

In fact, to stabilize the populace and allow them time to recover, Mo Fei had shortly after entering the city proclaimed a five-year tax exemption throughout the empire, ordering the surrendered soldiers to post the notices everywhere.

The former emperor of Nas had been a poor administrator, yet to maintain such a vast military, his only recourse was to continually raise taxes. Mo Fei’s five-year exemption instantly calmed the restless old subjects of the empire, who now waited to see what their new ruler would do next.

Soon, Elders Ouf and Wharton arrived, delighted at the news of the swift conquest. With so much to do in the newly-acquired Nas Empire, they entrusted the City of Death to the care of the Elven King’s city. The two elders, accompanied by a dozen clan elders and a contingent of guards, hurried to the Nas capital.

Before even entering the palace, Elder Ouf and his party heard the citizens discussing the new sovereign’s tax policy. The city was calm, as though nothing had happened.

On one hand, the army of the City of Death was encamped just outside the city. On the other, the new ruler had issued a strict decree: during the turmoil, any act of robbery or lawlessness would be punished without mercy. The surrendered soldiers, along with troops clad in black armor, patrolled the city. Anyone caught in the act was executed on the spot. In just a few days, more than thirty people—the ringleaders of various thefts—had been killed. Surrounded by black-armored soldiers, not even kneeling and begging for mercy could save them. Thirty were executed in a single sweep.

After that, who would dare take advantage of the chaos?

When Mo Fei saw Elder Ouf and his company arrive, he relaxed at once. “Excellent, you’re finally here. I’ll leave this place to you. I need to rest.”

“Lord, you still need to issue some commands. How can you rest now? We’ve only just arrived, haven’t even had a sip of water,” Elder Ouf replied with a smile.

“If there are commands to give, you handle them. I have no objections,” Mo Fei said, seizing the chance to escape.

“My lord, if you wish this empire not to collapse, if you wish its people not to descend into chaos and division, you must become emperor of this land.”

“What!” Mo Fei exclaimed in shock.