Lost Kingdoms, Chapter One

Lost Kingdoms
Chapter One
Flames of Redemption
“The time of Jin has come to an end. Weak and corrupt they are now nothing more then a mockery to Heaven’s Mandate. It is now time for us, the people of the new dynasty of Zion to stand up, to open our eyes, and to proclaim to all creation the advent of a new empire!” Guan Fei declared to the assembly.
“For too long have we lived under the tyranny of Jin! For too long have we averted our eyes beneath the silken curtain of “wait.” Now “wait” is at an end! Our time is now, the Heavens themselves our in agreement!”
“It would seem now that ‘revolution’ is inevitable. The very word brings a bitter taste to my mouth. To well do I remember the suffering of the soldiers at Bowan, to acutely do I know of the horrors at Guanshan. Knowing this, I have taken into account every action to avoid ‘revolution’ only to come up with none. The flames of war are blowing again and threatening to devour all, but take heart! For just as the phoenix we will rise up from the ashes victorious!”
“What I am proposing will not be easy and I pray every day that this is not the answer but they fall on deaf ears. Heaven itself wills this fight, the deities themselves demand our victory; if even the gods and goddesses ask of us this task who are we to refuse. For that reason, if for only that reason we must prevail, we will win, we cannot afford to lose! May Heaven bless our empire!”
Stepping forward, Dun Fei, Guan Fei’s younger brother spoke. “Every day I thank the gods and goddesses for the right to fight in their ranks! Ten thousand deaths could not stop me!”
The third brother, Yuan Fei, then stepped forward. “So then go all you children of Zion. Unleash your righteous fury onto Jin and bring forth the new age!”

His name was General who Inspires Terror Suun Li. Not that the title really meant anything, in his past three years of service all he really did was put down one rebellion after the other and had never seen an actual battle in his life. The closest would have been Guanshan but there the lord had fled and much of what had been left was mop-up duty.
This was a time of relative peace. The Jin dynasty had been in power for over five hundred years and had systematically eliminated or assimilated all other kingdoms on the continent. Sure there was always the periodic skirmish but actual battles were rare. It could be called a great age. A time when people could focus on things like philosophy and other scholarly pursuits rather then waging one war after another; he found it dull. The time of the great generals were at an end now. It was a time of peace and all what the soldiers of old had to do now was to sit in the gardens watching the cherry blossoms fall.
“However,” Suun said as he cleaved one of the falling petals in half. “One cannot find true peace without a little war.”
“Indeed,” Zorashin, Suun’s sworn sister said. “For without “war” does “peace” have any real meaning?”
“There is nothing wrong with true peace,” Hanya, Suun’s other sworn brother added. “The question is, is such a thing really possible?”
“The Fei brothers have already begun their movements,” Suun noted. “It should be only a matter of time now.”
“The last twinkle of the dying star is said to be the most beautiful,” Zorashin grinned. “Shall we witness that beauty ourselves?”
“I wouldn’t want to miss such a show,” Suun answered. “Prepare the performance.”
“Sir,” they both bowed before disappearing.
“There is little more dangerous then a wounded tiger,” a man’s voice said from the shadows. “You had best be careful.”
“I have everything under control,” Suun replied. “Convey this message, ‘You needn’t have any worries.’”
“I’m going to have to get my seat,” Suun said to himself. “I don’t want to miss a minute of the show. Now let the curtains rise!”

“The vermin are already gathering,” Jingzhou reported. “This is going to be fun.”
“I do hope there’s a lot of them,” Zhou Yin said as he climbed into his saddle. “I’m getting bored of fighting small-fry.”
“There’s more then enough,” Jingzhou grinned. “You won’t be bored I can assure you of that.”
“Alright then,” Yin pointed down at the gathering masses. “Let no one live! All units attack!”
“I thought he’d never leave,” someone sighed.
“People like him must be in love with their own voice,” Jingzhou watched as Zhou Yin, Field Marshall who Spreads Glory disappeared into the cloud of dust his calvary had kicked up. “I’ve got everything under control.”
“Then I’ll report that phase one is already underway,” Jingzhou only nodded before he too vanished into the dirt of the battlefield. “Go, Jingzhou. We, of the Majin Six will show the true terror of this army!”
“The insects that sought to defy heaven,” Dun Fei said. “My, there sure are a lot of them.”
“The General of Earth afraid of a few bugs?” Fei Rang asked as he rode up aside Dun. “I’ll squish them myself if you’re to nervous.”
“Just a bit surprised by the number that’s all,” Dun replied. “Still, insects are insects.”
“And scum are scum,” Guan Fei said from his seat. “Well, how about we give them a warm welcome.”
“Catapults ready!” Dun shouted. “Open fire!”
Dozens of red-hot stones were flung down the hills onto the unsuspecting troops of Jin, burning soldiers and scorching the earth where they landed. The flames, as hot as they were, were but a match compared to the battle that would soon embroil the land.