Chapter 1

Reign of King Taejong, Battle of Lexmon

Commander Griffith Ryeland was studying the map laid out on the table, its edges curling slightly in the humid air. The silence in the room was tense after the rowdy discussions just minutes earlier, and it was finally quiet enough for Griffith to think. He allowed his mind to wander over the distant landscape and try to build a mental image of their position and his options.

‘You’re not happy,’ Prince Yu-Jun said, stepping closer and standing beside him. Griffith did not immediately respond as he was lost in thought. His eyes were fixed on the map, as though searching for something just beyond the lines and contours and hoping the answer arose from the page.

‘No,’ Griffith muttered, his voice distant. ‘I need to walk and think.’ He stood up abruptly, and together they made their way through the small, empty village they had camped beside and had been using as their temporary base.

As they reached the edge of the village, they looked toward the distant hills, a large shoulder of land that rose sharply. In front of them loomed another rise, a massive mound of earth covered in grass. The villages didn’t use the area as it was not productive for crops or cattle.

‘I want to go there and take a look.’ Griffith lifted his chin in the direction he wanted to go and started climbing the hill. When they reached the top, the land stretched out in every direction, and a slight breeze ruffled Griffith’s dark-brown hair. What had seemed like a mere hill from the ground offered a commanding view of the surrounding terrain. Below them, their scattered forces were spread out across the valley and far into the distance. Yu-Jun knew that Griffith had an ability to plan complex, multi-pronged attacks. He understood landscapes and was able to plan accordingly.

‘Your cousin’s forces are to the south, about two hours away,’ Griffith observed, his eyes scanning the horizon as if he could see inside their enemy’s camp. Prince Yu-Jun kept silent, knowing Griffith was going to talk his way through his thoughts. They had been friends since childhood, and he was used to the way Griffith strategised.

They had been at war a few years, mostly small skirmishes around Dernancourt with Prince Jae-Sang and his son Prince Danu who had rebelled when his father had died. Although King Taejong had been crowned prince of Dernancourt by his father King Dangun when he came of age, his illegitimate older brother believed the crown should go to him instead.

Sixteen-year-old Griffith had steered them towards victory many times and was quickly developing a reputation as an exemplary battle commander. Yu-Jun wasn’t surprised, Griffith came from a family that had a long line of warriors who had held the south of Dernancourt before the House of Yi had united the many tribes under one country. The dukes of Aven were one of the most prominent families and were loyal to the Imperial Family of Yi.

Both Griffith and Yu-Jun had met as children and completed their Harrawong training together, forming a brotherhood with three other boys in the process.

Griffith exhaled sharply, his gaze narrowing as he spoke. ‘Your uncle has two units with him to the north. For some reason, he is not moving forward to engage with your father and brother. I’d say he is looking for a better location to engage with them. We risk being outflanked by him. Your cousin Prince Danu has moved up behind us. If your uncle and cousin decided to attack us, we will be overrun. I don’t like the idea of fighting on two fronts. We have no hope of getting reinforcements here as the main contingent of our army is somewhere between here and Volis.’

‘Agreed,’ Yu-Jun said.

After a moment, Griffith continued. ‘I’ve just received an intelligence message from Reid that your cousin and his followers settled in at Lexmon a few days ago. They’re eager for glory. Your cousin wants to prove himself, prove he is better than you and your brothers, and he wants the crown. He’s been waiting for the right opportunity and now he thinks he has it. His mother’s brother, who has been guiding him with his recent success, has just been called away. Danu is arrogant, foolish and easy to anger. He will rush into things without thinking. Rumour has it that he and his sycophants have been out having a wild time partying. If we can goad Danu into attacking us, we might have an opportunity, but it is not without risks.’

‘The risks?’ said Yu-Jun.

‘If there was a message delivered to your uncle Prince Jae-San saying his son was in danger, he would need to ride fast and hard here. He would only bring a small troop with him to get his son out; he won’t be interested in anything else. I met one of the villagers who returned yesterday to check on his crops, and he told me that there’s a cold front coming that will bring a thick fog that will stay for a few hours.’

Yu-Jun turned to look at his friend. ‘So what is your plan?’

Griffith’s eyes gleamed with a quiet resolve. ‘I want to engage your cousin. We will request he come and see us today or tomorrow at the latest. I want to show him that we’re ready to surrender and that we are weak. I want him to see our troop movements—just a small force around the village. I want him to think that if he acts fast, he can c1apture both of us. He’ll rush back to his men, and I’m willing to bet that, by next morning, he’ll be on the move to attack us. It will be a rushed plan because his uncle is not with him to temper him and, because he will think our defeat is going to be easy, he and his men will celebrate in advance. Then they will ride into battle with us unprepared and probably still hungover.’

Yu-Jun studied Griffith for a moment, sensing the strategic brilliance in his plan, but also the danger. ‘It’s a risk.’

‘I know,’ Griffith said, nodding slowly, ‘but it’s the only way to get him to act. Once he’s committed, we can turn the tables on him. We can make it look like the best opportunity to attack is via the village. When he takes the bait, we’ll draw him out past the village and into the open space where we’ll be able to hit him hard with our long-arm bowmen and the fog as cover. Then we can send in the cavalry and infantry.’

Yu-Jun exhaled, the weight of the decision settling in his chest. ‘If it works, it could be a decisive blow.’

‘And if it doesn’t,’ Griffith said, ‘then we adapt, which our men are very good at, or we run, but this is the best option that I can see. We don’t have the luxury of time.’ Griffith, who had been staring out across the landscape, turned to face Prince Yu-Jun.

‘I think you have come up with our best option,’ Yu-Jun told him.

‘You need to brief all the leaders. Reid is going to assist Danu by organising some drinking parties after they come here. It is critical that once we can confirm Danu is going to attack, we shift into position. Every commander must know the plan and be ready to execute it.’

Yu-Jun listened intently, his mind already working through the details. Griffith’s confidence was infectious.

Griffith laid out his plan. ‘If we can force Danu’s hand, he’ll attack us here at Lexmon. If they come up the centre of this ridge, which is the most obvious route, we’ll have a surprise waiting for them. We can hide our main forces in the surrounding area. If the villager is right about the fog, they won’t see us until it is almost too late.’

Prince Yu-Jun walked away from Griffith, his mind racing as he felt the cool breeze on his face. He ran a hand over his growing beard as he weighed up Griffith’s plan. After a few moments, he turned, his expression resolute. ‘Let’s go back. I’ll send the missives to the leaders to come in for a meeting so we can outline our plan.’

The next day, Griffith and Yu-Jun walked their unit commanders through the terrain, explaining every detail of their plan and checking for any suggestions or adjustments. By the end of the day, everything was set in motion. All they needed now was for their enemy to take the bait, so the invitation was sent to Prince Danu. This was the part that Griffith hated, as did most military men—the waiting.

At mid-morning, one of Griffith’s men approached him, announcing that Prince Danu and two of his senior generals had arrived for talks. Commander Taiden Holder had been chosen to meet Prince Danu and guide them along a path designed to show them exactly what Griffith and Prince Yu-Jun wanted them to see. Prince Danu’s expression was one of barely contained triumph as he took in Prince Yu-Jun’s seemingly limited forces, which appeared to be preparing to flee Lexmon, and the empty rise in the distance where there were no forces at all.

On the outskirts of the village, Commander Holder escorted Prince Danu into Prince Yu-Jun’s tent. The interior was modest yet carefully arranged, with rugs on the floor and seating set up in the centre of the tent. The bedding area to the side, however, was a mess of bottles piled next to the bed and clothes haphazardly draped over trunks. After the guests had settled, Griffith, Taiden and Reid took their place silently at Yu-Jun’s back, standing watchful and still.

Prince Danu was clearly pleased with the situation and took his seat opposite Prince Yu-Jun. Sneering, he said, ‘You seem to be at a disadvantage, cousin. My father and his forces are to the north, and I am behind you. You won’t be able to slip past either one of us nor can you fight a battle on two sides.’

‘I think you should be the one who surrenders,’ Yu-Jun told him.

Prince Danu laughed. ‘You are clearly getting the wrong advice, cousin.’

Prince Yu-Jun remained silent, watching Danu like the insect he was. He had learnt from his father King Taejong that saying nothing sometimes made the person lose control.

Danu broke the silence, his eyes burning with fury. ‘You are going to lose this war,’ he spat through gritted teeth. ‘When I am crown prince and my father is king, you, Ji-Wan and Huan-Jung will all die. I might even ask my father if I can carry out your execution myself.’

Yu-Jun said nothing, his expression composed.

Unable to contain his rage, Prince Danu stood abruptly and stormed out of the tent, his men following him while sneering.

Taiden leaned in and asked, ‘Do you think he took the bait?’

‘Yes,’ Griffith replied, his tone calm. He turned to his men. ‘Send the messages. It’s time. If there are any issues, let me know straight away.’

His men nodded and rushed from the tent to carry out their orders.

‘I’ll head back to organise what I can at all the local taverns that he and his men go to. I have a lovely night planned for them,’ Reid said then departed.

Yu-Jun glanced at Griffith and Taiden, his face set with determination. ‘Let’s get Bowie. We should spend the night talking to all the men.’

‘Agreed,’ Griffith said.

Together, they moved through the encampments, checking in with the leaders and taking time to speak with the soldiers. There was no turning back now.

Just after midnight, Griffith and his men took up their positions and waited. Griffith waited hidden in a doorway on the furthest part of the village. Reid’s operation had been successful—his people had helped Danu’s troops get drunk, and the leadership had passed out. The enemy came at first light, the dawn barely able to pierce the thick fog. He could hear the skirmishes breaking out on the outskirts of Lexmon. The fog continued to creep in, thick and heavy, reducing visibility to mere feet. The enemy, unfamiliar with the village, struggled to navigate through the haze. Yu-Jun had ordered campfires to be lit during the night on the leeward side of Lexmon, the billowing smoke through the village now further disorienting the enemy.

Within the village, the fighting had turned brutal at close quarters. Griffith shouted directions to every corner, his presence constant as he rallied his men and held the line. Slowly and methodically, he pulled his men back to outer Lexmon and into the open fields beyond. One man came into the barn he was hiding in, and Griffith threw a knife into his neck. As the man lifted his hands to his neck and gurgled, Griffith moved towards him, swiping his sword across his neck. The man dropped, blood pooling around him.

Yu-Jun watched the battle unfold on the rise where he and his forces were waiting like a coiled spring. Though poised, his heart pounded as he waited. Finally, he saw it: the enemy’s troops coming from the ridge Griffith had left undefended to make Prince Danu think they could attack Lexmon from the rear. The infantry, cavalry and bowmen stood silent and ready to strike. Yu-Jun moved up and down the lines, offering reassurance and steadying the resolve of his men.

The tension was thick. Then, as if on cue, the sun broke through the fog, a pale, weak light cutting through the haze, accompanied by a light wind. Yu-Jun smiled. His voice steady, he commanded, ‘Start the battle signals, shoot at will.’ He watched as Griffith and his men ran toward the hidden troops in the fog with small lights to illuminate their way.

Loud drums began to beat, the rhythm carrying across the battlefield. Within moments, massive balls of fire were hurtling through the air, crashing into the enemy ranks with terrifying force and hitting buildings that exploded amid fire, dust and debris.

The enemy, disoriented by the attack, could see no targets to counterstrike and had to keep moving forward. As they advanced, thousands of arrows rained down upon them. They raised their shields, but it was already too late. Panic set in and men began to scatter, their discipline crumbling as fear took hold.

Griffith ruthlessly slashed at the enemy, his focus on interrupting their balance and breath. He’d been taught to be ruthless in a fight, and he used stability, oxygen and orientation as the keys to his success. It was an old method of fighting.

One of the enemy commanders tried to rally his troops, pushing them forward with desperate shouts. But his advance was cut short as he encountered Taiden and his infantry troop running at them head on. The battle was fierce. The sound of hooves thundered in the distance as the cavalry led by Bowie charged through the enemy’s scattered forces, their momentum unstoppable.

Yu-Jun saw a small group of enemy troops on horseback galloping to Prince Danu’s rescue. It looked like his uncle Prince Jae-Sang.

‘Keep firing on that advance till they start to run and scatter!’ he ordered his men on the ridgeline, and he picked up a bow and moved to stand in line with his bowmen.