Charouk looked as if he would very much like to skewer Kitay on a flagpole if given the chance.
“We can’t beat Daji fighting as four separate armies,” General Hu said quickly. “Our scouts report she’s assembling a coalition in the north as we speak.”
“Doesn’t matter if they don’t have a fleet,” said the Monkey Warlord, Liu Gurubai. He was the most cooperative among the southern Warlords; sharp-tongued and clever-eyed, he spent most meetings stroking his thick, dark whiskers while he played both sides at the table.
If they were dealing only with Gurubai, Rin thought, they might have moved north by now. The Monkey Warlord was cautious, but he at least responded to reason. The Boar and Rooster Warlords, however, seemed determined to hunker down in Arlong behind Vaisra’s army. Gong Takha had passed the last few days sitting silent and sullen at the table while Charouk continually blustered his suspicion of everyone else in the room.
“But they will. Daji is now commissioning ships from civilian centers for a restored Imperial Navy. They’re converting grain transport ships into war galleys, and they’ve constructed naval yards at multiple sites in Tiger Province.” General Hu tapped on the map. “The longer we wait, the more time they have to prepare.”
“Who’s leading that fleet?” asked Gurubai.
“Chang En.”
“That’s surprising,” Charouk said. “Not Jun?”
“Jun didn’t want the job,” said General Hu.
Charouk raised an eyebrow. “That’d be a first.”
“It’s wise on his part,” said Vaisra. “No one wants to have to give Chang En orders. When his officers question him, they lose their heads.”
“That’s certainly a sign the Empire’s on the decline,” tutted Takha. “That man is wicked and wasteful.”
The Wolf Meat General was notorious for his brutality. When Chang En had staged his coup against the previous Horse Warlord, his troops had split skulls in half and hung strings of the severed heads across the capital walls.
“Or it just means, you know, that all the good generals are dead,” Jinzha drawled. He had been remarkably restrained in council so far, though Rin had been watching the contempt build on his face for hours.
“You would know,” said Charouk. “Did your apprenticeship with him, didn’t you?”
Jinzha bristled. “That was five years ago.”
“Not so long for such a short career.”
Jinzha opened his mouth to retort, but Vaisra cut him off with a raised hand. “If you’re going to accuse my eldest son of treachery—”
“No one is accusing Jinzha of anything,” said Charouk. “Again, Vaisra, we just don’t think Jinzha is the right choice to lead your fleet.”
“Your men couldn’t be in better hands. Jinzha studied warcraft at Sinegard, he commanded troops in the Third Poppy War—”
“As did we all,” said Gurubai. “Why not give one of our generals the job? Or why not one of us?”
“Because you three are too important to spare.”
Even Rin couldn’t help but cringe at that naked flattery. The southern Warlords exchanged wry looks. Gurubai made a show of rolling his eyes.
“All right, then because the men of the Dragon Province are not prepared to fight under anyone else,” Vaisra said. “Believe it or not, I am trying to find the solution that best protects you.”
“And yet it’s our troops you want on the front lines,” said Charouk.
“Dragon Province is committing more troops than any of you, asshat,” Rin snapped. She couldn’t help it. She knew Vaisra had wanted her to simply observe, but she couldn’t stand watching this mess of passivity and petty infighting. The Warlords were acting like children, squabbling as if someone else would win their war for them if they only procrastinated long enough.
Everyone stared at her as if she’d suddenly grown wings. When Vaisra didn’t cut her off, she kept going. “It’s been three fucking days. Why the fuck are we arguing about division makeup? The Empire is weak now. We need to send a force up north now.”
“Then how about we just send you?” asked Takha. “You sank the longbow island, didn’t you?”
Rin didn’t miss a beat. “You want me to kill off half the country? My powers don’t discriminate.”
Takha looked to Vaisra. “What is she even doing here?”
“I’m the commander of the Cike,” Rin said. “And I’m standing right in front of you.”
“You’re a little girl with no command experience and hardly a year of combat under your belt,” Gurubai said. “Do not presume to tell us how to fight a war.”
“I won the last war. You wouldn’t even be standing here without me.”
Vaisra placed a hand on her shoulder. “Runin, hush.”