Dedicated to someone who encourages me to keep writing.

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"I surrender."

"You admit defeat? So soon?", the Conqueror asked.

"Sire, his Highness...", started a eunuch who stood by the General's side only to be interrupted by the other sovereign ruler in the room.

The tall man towered over most in the court, glaring at the ministers who dared take a peek from their bent backs bowed to the ground, kneeling uncomfortably as their King, formerly Crown Prince, sat upright in front of the steps of the throne with his head lowered.

All in the court except the ruthless Conqueror and the acclaimed General had their necks tilted. The eunuch who had spoken had his neck at least a forty-five-degree angles with his eyes towards the floor.

It was the General that yet defied the invader, refusing to kneel or supplicate in his presence.

The same one that indicated to the eunuch through writing that it was time to surrender.

"Through writing?", the Conqueror marveled. He approached the General, whispering, "How do you trust they won't betray you and change the words written?"

"Our ruler has taken a vow of silence," remarked the head eunuch, his face expressionless as the Conqueror made moves to quiet him.

The General raised his left hand and clenched it. Taking it as an order not to aggravate the Conqueror further, the eunuch bowed before the new ruler, lowering himself midway.

"Now he pledges allegiance to me? After all these cowards bent the knee?", chided the Conqueror, chuckling at the irony.

How come the one with more authority here was the loser.

"HYAYAH!", yelled a minister as he attempted to stab the Conqueror through the back. Instantly, only to find the General's sword thrust in his chest cavity.

"You...why...betray...us...", exclaimed the minister as he bled out.

The Conqueror glanced between where the General had been a moment ago, and where he was positioned now, a mere fraction away from his face.

Should he wish, the General could fight him one-on-one with ease. However, the brief outburst from the General was contained, and he yet again left to his original position, and sat down, head lowered this time.

"Why would you save me?", the Conqueror muttered.

At this, the General looked past him, not even providing a reply.

Burying his own sword in the rebellious minister to finish the job, he grinned, and said, "I had previously thought to place you on house arrest...as you are an acclaimed general after all."

He added, "However, I think that my plans have changed."

Slight scratching was heard across the hall, leading all those in the court to look up. From there, it was observed that the General had bit his index finger and was scribbling on the marble floor with blood calligraphy.

"What is this?", inquired the Conqueror. Coming to take a look, he read a message that made him laugh out loud.

"You truly deserve to be called the General," he mused. Snapping his fingers, he called a lowly soldier to bring him wine from the palace kitchens.

"But your Highness, you never drink from..."

"Did I stutter?", remarked the Conqueror. Kneeling before the King, the poor servant boy cried, "No, sire."

"Good, bring me the wine."

"Wine?", whispered a commander belonging the Conqueror's army. A sea of murmurs swarmed above the fray, echoing in the massive stone hall loudly as it combined into a plentiful noisy cacophony that harmed the Conqueror's ears.

"Enough! We have cause for celebration. Do we not?", the Conqueror remarked, eyeing his subordinates.

"We do?"

"I guess we do!"

"We did win a siege! We should celebrate!"

"Brothers, this is our victory...so who should be the first to drink from this cup?", inquired the Conqueror as the servant brough him a freshly poured cup.

Trembling, the servant raised it to the Conqueror's lips just for the Conqueror to toss it and strike at a nearby General.

The Northern General shrunk back, before leaping off an abandoned chair and striking back at the Conqueror in a blatant attempt to overthrow him by force.

In a moment, history repeated itself. Only this time, the General came within striking distance of the Conqueror. Gleefully smiling, the Northern General had a glimmer of hope until the pair combined their efforts and struck him at once from the front and the back.

"What?", he exclaimed, shocked that the two rulers would work cooperate like this.

"I am not sure if you have heard, Northern General, but let me tell you a little secret," said the Conqueror.

He hollered, "The General doesn't take betrayal lightly."

All present including both armies stood up, flabbergasted at the two sovereigns, and what had just occurred.

"How did you know he would try to kill me so readily after seizing the palace?", asked the Conqueror to the General.

This time, the eunuch provided a pen and paper as he wrote, "Trembling. Fear. Soldiers. Retreat. Disobedience. Orders not followed. Divergence."

"You picked up on that?", he marveled. "I must have been too occupied with the siege and thinking I had accomplished a feat to notice the signs." The Conqueror sighed. "I'm usually better than this on most days."

Looking into the General's eyes, he spotted no open malice, and made his decision.

"I want you to be my General."

"Pardon?", croaked the Northern General as he lay injured on the floor, unattended to.

"Sorry?", squeaked the head eunuch.

"What?", exclaimed a chorus of voices as they became even more befuddled on what exactly was happening here.

"Be one of the Generals that serve under me or...witness your country go up in flames. Up to you."

The General hastily wrote, "One condition."

"Alright, all ears," the Conqueror said.

"Should you request me to marry, I shall only take a wife that can fight and stand besides me."

"Unusual request. Most would have asked for fame, glory, or riches."

"No?"

"Deal. I dare you to make any more frivolous requests of me, hmm?"

Then, the General did something extraordinary. He placed his sword on the floor, kneeled before a ruler, and mouthed a phrase that shocked the entire congregation present.

Long live the Conqueror!

Cries sprang forth that day as a whole country acknowledged their new sovereign.

"Long live the Conqueror!"

"Long live the Conqueror!"

https://youtu.be/yIyURQq56O4

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Author's note: Drama: Longest Day in Chang-An Yes, the drama that the OST comes from above is one of the best, most historically accurate historical fiction c-dramas I have watched. And I love it.