02 Salran Hill

The morning breeze carried mist in the air. A light mist surrounded the tall grass, making it difficult to see clearly. Chinua took a look around and understood why Behrouz had rejected her peace agreement: he believed that if she dared to attack him, he would most likely be victorious in a battle with the Hmagol army. The tall grass was a good hiding place for his bandits, especially when attacking in the morning. Once the bandits spontaneously attacked the Hmagol army and the two sides engaged in battle, it would be more difficult for the Hmagol Army to advance and retreat.

Chinua saw an apple branch in front of her that had grown onto the path. She reached out and grabbed two apples. She handed an apple to Khunbish and took a bite of the apple in her hand.

"It's a little sour, but I bet in about a month it'll be super sweet," Chinua said, taking another bite. "Khunbish... Do you know why that old fool thought he was in a perfect position, and we couldn't attack him?"

Khunbish put his apple in his robe. "Salran Hill has a higher terrain and is difficult to attack but easy to defend," he replied.

"Only if you are fully prepared," Chinua countered, a smirk playing on her lips. "It seems that I have found a way to weaken the old fool's pride."

"What is it?" Khunbish asked, intrigued.

"Look around you, is there anything you haven't seen?" Chinua prompted.

Khunbish looked around and found that although there were a lot of green grass and trees, he only saw a small stream flowing through the land. "I don't see a river, only a small stream," he said.

Chinua turned around and found that Khunbish had not eaten the apple she gave him. "Don't you want to eat the apple?" she asked.

"I'll save it for Chinua later," Khunbish replied.

"You always do this, come on, taste it." She brought the apple in her hand to Khunbish's mouth, and Khunbish took a bite. "How was it?"

Khunbish slowly chewed. "Not as sweet as the apples in the palace," he remarked.

"I picked it too early." Chinua looked back and found that many of the trees on the roadside were apple trees. "I think in two months; I will ask the soldiers to clean up these apples and leave nothing for the old man."

"This old man has a name," Khunbish said, then stopped as he realized they were approaching the foot of Salran Hill. "Chinua, we're here."

The moment Behrouz saw Chinua and Khunbish, he stood up from his seat, stared at Khunbish, and shouted, "I thought I told you to come alone!"

Chinua and Khunbish walked up to Behrouz. Chinua smiled at Behrouz, who was in his early sixties with gray hair, and then smiled at the row of men standing behind Behrouz. "I did come alone, without soldiers," Chinua said.

"Then what is he doing here?" Behrouz demanded. Then he noticed that the person who answered him was not the tall and fierce-looking man he had seen before, but another young man of medium height. "Wait... who are you?"

"Chinua," she replied calmly.

Behrouz was confused. He pointed at Khunbish and asked, "He is not Chinua..."

"He is my personal guard, not a soldier," Chinua clarified. She looked at Behrouz's men, then at Behrouz. "Are you so afraid of me that you brought so many people to protect you?"

Behrouz stood up, his face reddening. "Young man, watch your mouth, or you will have a taste of this old fist!" he said angrily.

"My men told me that you rejected my good offer," Chinua stated, ignoring his threat. "Since you refused to accept my offer, why do you want to meet me in person?"

Behrouz chuckled, a sneer on his face. "I like to look at the person I'm about to kill."

Chinua smiled at Behrouz. "Your jokes are not very funny." She looked at Khunbish. "Tell him a joke that's funnier than his?"

Khunbish sighed, then looked at Behrouz and asked, "Why did the chicken run from its coop?"

Chinua stared at Behrouz, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Because the chicken coop is going to catch on fire." She smirked. "Now, this is interesting. Imagine a chicken running around with its feathers on fire. I think that would be a really interesting picture."

"I may be old, but I am not stupid," Behrouz said through gritted teeth. "Do you think you can set fire to Salran Hill easily?"

Chinua took a step closer to Behrouz, smirking at him, and said bravely, "I don't think I can do it. I know I can, and I'm ready to light it at any time." She took a step back. "You believed that Salran Hill was a fortress that would keep you safe, but you were wrong."

"Many brave people have said what you just said," Behrouz countered, his voice full of bravado, "but they all died halfway on Salran Hill. If you are brave enough, I dare you to try."

"If you are a wise leader of the so-called bandits," Chinua said, her voice softening slightly, "I suggest you accept my peace agreement."

Behrouz spat on the ground. "Submit my men to serve under you, dream on!" he shouted angrily.

"Do you read and write?" Chinua asked, her tone calm despite his outburst.

"Don't underestimate us!" Behrouz roared. "Although we are bandits, we are not illiterate."

"Then your education is not that high," Chinua said, "because you misunderstood the peace agreement. In the peace agreement..."

Behrouz suddenly interrupted, wild in his anger. "No matter what your stupid peace agreement says, the answer is no! If you want Salran Hill, you come and claim it!"

Chinua looked at Behrouz, feeling tired because no matter what she said, her kind words would travel from Behrouz's right ear and out the other. She sighed; she knew that Hye was correct about this type of people.

"You old fool," Chinua said angrily, her patience finally snapping. "You..."

Behrouz clenched his fist, preparing to punch Chinua in the face. "Better choose your words more carefully or you'll lose all your front teeth," he said angrily.

Chinua scoffed. "Because you haven't seen blood, therefore, you have no fear. Today, right now, right here, I will show you that your stupid hill can be destroyed, and every one of you will die without my soldiers even shedding a single drop of blood." She reached into her robe and dropped the leather map on the table.

"You'll destroy my mountain with a leather map!" Behrouz laughed, a booming, derisive sound. "How can a small map bring my hill to her knees?"

Khunbish sat on the ground, unrolled the map into full view, then turned it so that it faced Behrouz.

"Salran Hill may be in a good defensive position but with lots of vulnerabilities," said Chinua, her voice suddenly sharp and analytical. "What your hill lacks most is water. There is nothing around your hill except trees and dry grass. Especially this time of year, the weather is dry." Behrouz's eyes fell on the map on the table, his laughter dying. "Now, do you understand the significance of why the chicken escaped from its coop?" She knew that now Behrouz was beginning to realize that the fortress was not as good as he had imagined. "I don't even need to waste arrows. I just have my soldiers surround Salran Hill and lock you and your people in Salran Hill. Sooner or later, when the food is exhausted and there is no water, your people will slowly surrender to me or die with you on your hill." She looked at Behrouz, her gaze unwavering. "Now you see, old man, your hill is a good defense only if you know how to use her, but now judging by the look on your face, tells me if I am wrong."

Behrouz grabbed the map from the table and looked at it intently. He now understood what Chinua meant by the chicken and the coop. If Chinua and her army set a fire at the foot of Salran Hill during the dry season, it was likely that the dry grass would catch fire, and they would be burned alive in Salran Hill. If Chinua decided to surround them, they would likely starve to death. He had lived in Salran Hill for many years and had always believed that Salran Hill was an unbreakable iron fortress.

Chinua continued, "Even if I decide not to set fire to Salran Hill or starve you and your men to death, there are many other ways for me to make Salran Hill fall to her knees, but this will result in the loss of life on both sides. Why do we have to fight each other when we share a common goal?" She paused. "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle." She suddenly remembered the moment when Zhi knelt in front of his parents, and she smiled. "The greatest happiness of a wise leader is to see his men return home to their families." Behrouz looked up at Chinua, his expression unreadable. "You have lived longer than me and have seen more than me. Tell me, did I speak wrong?"

Behrouz tightened his grip on the map in his hand. He looked up at Chinua and murmured, "Chinua... you..."

"If you change your mind, I will wait for you at the military camp," Chinua stated, her voice firm. "If you don't change your mind, I will attack you the day after tomorrow." She turned and walked away.

Khunbish stood up from the ground, looked at Behrouz, and said, "You know Chinua is right; because of your stubbornness, you have brought your people halfway to their grave. Don't mistake Chinua's kindness for weakness. When she decides to attack, she will not show any mercy to her enemies."

Behrouz stood there, watching Chinua and Khunbish slowly walk farther and farther away. Then he heard Chinua whistle softly, and from the tall dry grass and trees by the roadside, soldiers emerged slowly. He was stunned by what he saw, because he was too focused on his conversation with Chinua and didn't realize that while they were talking, Chinua's soldiers had arrived and were ready to attack them at any time. He sighed and looked at the map again. He always thought he was invincible and looked down on those who wanted to challenge him, but today, when he stared at Chinua, what he saw was the determination of an ambitious leader.