Chapter 17: Shameless Warfare
The sun hadn't even fully risen when Wei'an, looking like he'd been dragged through a gravel pit by Commander Sang, stood before the Patriarch and the family council. He laid out a stack of papers that looked more like a battle plan than a budget.
"The Viscounty is a sinking ship, Father," Wei'an said, his voice raspy from the night's 'drills.' "We have 850,000 in debt and a Count with 3,000 men at the door. Traditional honor will get us executed. We need reforms, and we need allies."
He pointed to a map of the surrounding lands. "There are three minor families—the He, the Tan, and the Lu. They're small, but the Count has been bullying them for years. Send them a request for aid. Not a request for 'knights,' but for their farmhands and their scouts. Tell them if the Shen house falls, they are the next course on the Count's menu."
The "Sovereign Shen" Army
Wei'an then turned his attention to the troops. He stood on a crate in the courtyard, looking at the 800 house guards, the 70 loyalist veterans, and his own 25 "Elite" mercenaries.
"Listen up!" Wei'an shouted. "The Count expects a 'noble' defense. He expects you to stand in lines and die for 'glory.' I'm telling you right now: Forget honor. Honor is for people who can afford to lose. We are merchants of death today. If you can trip a man before you stab him, trip him. If you can throw sand in his eyes, throw it. Be shameless. Stay alive. That is the only command."
He pulled Shen Yao aside, handing her a very strange shopping list.
"I need these," he said. "Every copper we have left goes into this."
Shen Yao looked at the list and blinked. "Fire arrows? Smoke pots? Pitch bombs? Rotting animal carcasses? Wei'an, what kind of nightmare are you planning?"
"A cost-effective one," he replied. He leaned in, and before she could react, he planted a quick, daring kiss on her cheek. "Just do it, Dear Wife. Trust your investor."
SLAP!
"You dare take advantage of a crisis?!" she hissed, her face burning red. She stormed off, muttering about "shameless merchants," but her hand was already signaling the stewards to begin the purchases.
The Chaos Rises
While Wei'an took out a high-interest "Emergency Loan" from his contacts in the city to buy more horses and heavy transport wagons, the world outside went mad.
The two Great City Lords finally clashed. The war was so massive that a splinter unit of 400 rogue soldiers, looking for loot, descended upon Jianghe City—the very place where Wei'an's shops were located.
The city gates groaned under the pressure. Smoke began to rise from the market district.
"Master!" Old Chen arrived, panting. "The rogue troops! They're headed for the main warehouse! They're burning everything!"
Wei'an's eyes turned cold. That warehouse held the pitch, the grain, and the future of the Shen family.
"Sang!" Wei'an roared. "Gather the 25 elites and 100 guards. We aren't waiting for the Count. We have a city to 'stabilize' first."
"Finally," Sang grinned, slamming his visor down. "A chance to earn that dental plan."
POV: The Shen Estate
Shen Yao stood on the ramparts, watching the smoke rise from the city in the distance. She held a pitch-bomb in her hand, wondering how her life had shifted from tea ceremonies to chemical warfare.
He kissed me, she thought, her fingers touching her cheek. In the middle of a war, with the treasury empty and the world burning... he's still thinking about being a nuisance.
She looked at the "Shameless" traps being set around the estate—noise traps made of tin cans, false fires to confuse scouts, and smoke pots ready to be lit.
"A merchant's war," she whispered. "Let's see if the Count's 'honor' can survive the smell of rotting carcasses."
Next Chapter Hook:
Wei'an arrives at the city to find his shop surrounded. He doesn't use a frontal assault; he uses his transport wagons to create a moving "fortress" in the narrow streets. Meanwhile, the Count's vanguard reaches the Viscounty's border, only to find the "Bridge" they were supposed to cross is actually a giant fire-trap.