03 Self-Sacrifice

In the early morning, when the sun finally appeared above the horizon, Haitao and ten other soldiers were waiting at the gate of the military camp. Just when Haitao thought he had waited long enough and Behrouz might not show up, the sound of horse hooves in the distance made him look up. Haitao saw a man on horseback approaching the entrance of the eastern military camp. When the man approached, Haitao discovered that it was none other than Behrouz. The ten soldiers guarding the gate rushed over, surrounding Behrouz and his horse.

"Tell Chinua, Behrouz is here to see him," Behrouz said.

Haitao walked over. "Chief Behrouz, I will take you to see Chinua."

Behrouz dismounted his horse and looked at Haitao. "Are you here to wait for me?" he asked.

Haitao smiled. "Chinua knew you would come." He stepped aside. "Come this way, Chinua is at the training ground."

Haitao led Behrouz through the soldiers' tents and soon came to the weapons training ground, where soldiers were practicing sparring.

Behrouz was surprised to find that the soldiers were a mix of men and women. "Female soldiers?" Behrouz said in surprise. "Your general is training female soldiers, why? What can they do on the battlefield?" He turned to look at Haitao.

Haitao looked at Behrouz and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate the female soldiers trained by Chinua. Their shooting skills and accuracy of arrows are exceptional."

Behrouz smiled. "Well, I have to see it with my own eyes to believe it."

"If a peace agreement is reached, you are welcome to test their skill," Haitao offered. He stopped and looked at Behrouz. "On the contrary, if there is no peace agreement, then you'll experience their archery skills." He looked at Behrouz again. "But the fact that Chief Behrouz is here today means that the peace agreement proposed by Chinua has been accepted by Chief Behrouz, right?"

"Yes, but with conditions," Behrouz replied.

Haitao sighed. "Chinua is over there."

Behrouz stopped and watched Chinua and many other soldiers fight with two men on the training ground. As he stared at her and the two men, he recognized one of them. That person was the young man who came with her yesterday. He then turned his attention to the five people standing on the sidelines.

"The three people standing there are not Hmagoli," Behrouz stated.

Haitao stared at Naksh, Jeet, and Drystan, then back at Behrouz. "They are not."

"Why do they serve the Hmagoli army?" Behrouz asked.

Haitao chuckled. "They don't serve the Hmagoli army. They serve Chinua."

From the sideline, Hye, who stood on the other side, noticed Behrouz and Haitao. "Chinua, your guest has arrived," he called out.

Chinua raised her sword and knocked Khunbish's sword away from her face. She handed her sword to Drystan, turned to look at Behrouz, and walked towards Behrouz and Haitao.

"I knew you were coming," Chinua said, wiping her sweaty hands on the side of her pants. "Since you are here, does this mean you accept the peace agreement?"

"There are some conditions," Behrouz stated.

Chinua knew Behrouz was a stubborn old man, but she had never seen anyone as stubborn as him before. She shook her head and chuckled. "What are your conditions?" Chinua asked.

"First, you won't change our rules. Second, you can't force us to go to war, and third..." he sighed, staring at Chinua. "Help us create an escape route, if one day, someone uses your method to burn us to death or starve us to death in Salran Hill."

Chinua chuckled. "I accept your additional conditions, and in return, I also want to add a condition to my peace agreement."

"What is it?" Behrouz asked, wary.

"I have two things that I need your help with, and you must accept it unconditionally," Chinua replied.

"What is it?" Behrouz pressed.

"I don't know yet, but when I need it, you can't refuse."

"What if this is a bad thing?" Behrouz questioned, his brow furrowed.

Hye walked from behind Chinua. "I can guarantee that it's nothing bad," he said.

"How can you be so sure?" Behrouz challenged.

"Because it was his idea," Chinua said, looking at Behrouz. "If you want this escape route, I suggest you agree."

"Fine," Behrouz conceded.

"Alright, then please sign the peace agreement," Hye said, producing a scroll.

Behrouz scoffed. "I am a person who keeps my word. Besides, I can't read or write, so don't look down on me by giving me such a long script."

Chinua stepped forward. "Alright... The promise of a true warrior is worth more than a thousand taels of gold." She stretched out her hand, and Behrouz clasped it firmly.

"Heaven and earth bear witness for me," Behrouz declared. "As long as you fulfill your agreement, I will fulfill mine."

"Captain! Captain!" A soldier shouted, rushing towards Chinua and the others. He stopped in front of Chinua. "Chinua!" he coughed. "Hundreds of bandits are heading straight towards our camp!"

"That is my son and his men," Behrouz said calmly.

Dyrstan stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "You just agreed to a peace agreement with Chinua! Are you already attacking us?"

"No... it is to express our sincerity for the peace agreement," Behrouz explained. "We are here to celebrate. This is our normal custom when we make new friends."

Hye smiled. "Then let them in." He looked at Haitao. "Captain, please show Chief Behrouz to the training ground."

Watching Behrouz leave with Haitao, Naksh stepped forward. "So, we just let him take his people into our camp, just like that? What if this is a trick?"

Chinua looked up at Naksh with a smile. "A man who trusts nobody is a man nobody trusts. Therefore, every trust must be verified through one's actions. If you give a man a chance, he might surprise you."

Naksh smiled. "Yes, General, I heard you loud and clear," he said, shaking his head as he realized that the person Chinua was talking about was none other than himself.

The celebration of friendship between the Hmagol army and the Salran Hill bandits lasted from dusk to dawn and well into the night.

When the villagers heard that the Hmagol army was celebrating their friendship with the Salran Hill bandits, the villagers in the surrounded areas came out with food and alcohol to participate in the celebration. Due to too many people, the celebration continued outside the small military camp.

Sitting by the campfire, watching the women in the village roasting pigs and mutton, Chinua inhaled the aroma. Her heart was filled with joy every time she saw women and children smiling at her as they danced past her.

"Chinua," Khunbish said, handing Chinua a piece of roast pork.

Chinua took the piece of pork and started eating it. "This is very good, Khunbish," she said, taking another piece of pork from Khunbish's hand.

"If Chinua likes it, Khenbish and I can learn this dish," Khunbish offered.

Chinua chuckled, swallowed her food, and said, "I would rather you spend your time on other things. Even if you learn it, your cooking skills will not be as good as those of these local men and women."

Suddenly, a braided daisy bracelet fell onto Khunbish's lap, and a woman looked down at Khunbish and smiled at him. Behrouz's men cheered and clapped.

"Go dance with that young lady," Behrouz said, a twinkle in his eye. "She has chosen you as her dance partner." He grabbed the woven daisy bracelet, placed it in Khunbish's hand, and pushed Khunbish toward the young woman. "Just hold hands and dance around the campfire." He smiled.

As Chinua watched her soldiers dance with local men and women, she laughed and began clapping her hands.

Behrouz sat down next to Chinua. "Is the young man married?" he asked.

"Who?" Chinua asked, surprised.

Behrouz smiled. "The young man who danced with my daughter." He pointed at Khunbish. "Her name is Noor. So, is this young man married?"

"No, he's not," Chinua replied with a smile.

"Yes!" Behrouz shouted happily. "I thought she would never like anyone, but I guess I don't have to worry anymore."

"She might want to reconsider," Chinua said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Behrouz turned to Chinua. "Heh, why?" he asked.

Chinua frowned slightly. "Khunbish is too royal. That is something that cannot be changed."

"You won't let him get married?" Behrouz asked, a touch of accusation in his tone. "If so, that would be a bit cruel."

"He is not my servant, but my friend," Chinua clarified. "He is free to do what he wants without my consent."

"Well, it is settled," Behrouz declared, satisfied. "You cannot stop the young man if he wants to fall in love."

A young girl grabbed Behrouz's hand. "Grandfather, grandfather, come and dance with me," she said.

Behrouz stood up, grabbed the little girl's hand, and repeated cheerfully, "Don't stop the young man if he wants to fall in love..."

Chinua watched the people dancing around the bonfire with a bright smile on her face, and she realized that she now truly understood why Batukhan did not appoint Mönkhbat as the Crown Prince and why Mönkhbat chose to stay in the south.

"For anything worth having, one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice," Chinua mused aloud, looking at the villagers.

"Are you thinking about General Mönkhbat?" Hye said, sitting next to Chinua.

Chinua handed Hye a bowl of water. "You have danced enough?" she asked.

Hye took the bowl of water, drank it, put the bowl on the ground, and said, "What about you? Have you danced enough?" He put his arm around Chinua's shoulders. "Is it worth it?"

"What is worth it?" Chinua asked.

Hye looked at Chinua and smiled. "Self-sacrifice. Is it worth it?"

Chinua looked at the children's faces. "It was worth it," she said. She turned to Hye and smiled. "That feeling you mentioned makes all the self-sacrifice worth it."

"Chinua," Khenbish's voice sounded from behind Chinua and Hye. He knelt on one knee beside Chinua. "Urgent news from the capital, Chinua must return immediately after getting the news."

"What's so urgent that Chinua must return the moment she receives the message?" Hye asked.

"Tong didn't say anything. He just asked Chinua to return to the capital immediately after receiving the news," Khenbish reported.

Chinua sighed. "If Tong sent father's message himself, it must be a very urgent and important matter." She stood up and walked towards the military camp with Khenbish.

Hye stood up and wiped the dirt off his butt as his arm was grabbed by Jeet. "What's wrong with Chinua?" Jeet asked.

"Urgent news from the capital," Hye said. "Tell the others, the celebration is over."