Empress Natsume ✓

XXIX

The cavalry was three times faster than normal, I guess this is because they were directly under the command of Lord Ryuu and had gone to many wars with him. The carriage where I'm riding is moving like a whirlwind, their horses are also well trained, they have a great stamina. I calculated the days again and going by our speed, instead of four days travel, it was shorten to three days.

This was the third day of our travel. It was already evening and in just a few hours, we will arrive at the Northern border. The sky is turning orange, the sun is setting out, the horses are also getting slower. We should be resting around this time but we didn't want to waste our time for that because we will arrive at the Northern border anytime soon.

Lord Ryuu has lost his mind, I know that the four generals that he left in the borders were all strong and he trusted them but there's a line between trust and suicide. What he's doing is sending his men to their deaths. He can't even think rationally now. What could an army do to an enemy that is more than three times larger than them?

Sure, the four generals in the North can hold the border in the first day with their tactics but the second time around will not be the same, the morale of the soldiers will decline because of their Lord's absence, they will start to think that Lord Ryuu have abandoned them. Which is true. Their numbers will lessen and the moment they get defeated, they will be wiped out.

The carriage suddenly halted and I almost got myself bumped to the other side.

"Did we arrived?"

No one answered so I look out of the window. There was nothing but plains, I look at the men and they were all grisly looking ahead. I look ahead too and that's when I saw it, what appear before us is a horrendous scene. It was a city state and just like any other city states, it was surrounded with walls and the gate is tightly close, making the big fire perfectly trapped in here. Yes, a fire, the city is burning. The walls of it is tall enough to protect them from the invading forces but I guess it can still be reached by a long ladder. From this position, we can see the blazing fire that surpasses the walls' height.

This city... Don't tell me...

My heart started to beat so loudly in my chest, I was starting to have a cold sweat. This city is the first city state that you'll encounter after you've passed the Northern border. If this state was forayed, then that means...

"Northern border has fallen to the enemy..."

I whispered. We can't hear any cries of the people inside. With this large fire, they're going to die in just a minute, I'm sure that they're already roasted to their bones.

"God damn it!"

The commander cursed while the other men stand cautious around their surroundings for any signs of the enemies

I bite my lower lip, we didn't pass by the enemies. Infact, we didn't get a sight of them.

"Commander, did we take another route?"

"Yes, milady. As a safety precautions, we took the route at the back of the mountains that only a few people know so our arrival was delayed and it proved to be the right decision. If we took the main road, we should arrive here earlier and meet our enemies that numbers 170,000 troops against our small unit who with only a 1000 men. We're like a small ant under their feet"

We're supposed to head to the Northern border but now that it has fallen, either we continue going to the Northern border or go back to inform the others.

"Who are the fastest riders here?"

Four horsemen step forward

"The three of you, immediately warn the nearby city states to tightly close their gates and send a crisis call for the capable men in the states to take weapons and fight. The other one, go to the North and check if the four generals are still breathing and count the soldiers who have survived"