59 The last Eve
[3rd POV]
(The Kingdom of Shu in the West)
"Shen has finally made a move." An old baboon said and silence followed the throne room.
There were many people gathered in the throne room ranging from soldiers, commanders, generals and the king of Shu.
There was also a certain Monkey King in the room and he covered his face after hearing the news.
"And?" The King of Shu asked, he was a giant Orangutan that was known for his cunning and wisdom. He had a huge belly and would constantly reach out his long arms for food.
"They are heading West. Or to be more precise, they are heading towards us." The old baboon said and everyone stilled, as if a soundless lighting had just struck the throne room.
Lord Shen and his army had begun making their move and the first kingdom they went after was the closest to them, the Kingdom of Shu located in the Western part of China.
"How big is the army?" A deep and rough voice rang out in the silence, it was the general of the Shu Kingdom. He was mean-looking Mandrill with a nasty colourful face that struck an odd sense of horror to everyone who saw him.
"Around a thousand strong." The old baboon said and opened the scroll in his hand once more. It was the information provided by Master Gazelle of the Kung Fu Council.
The Kung Fu Council wanted vengeance against Lord Shen and was willing to work with any kingdom that was to face off against Shen. In their mind, Shen was a coward who murdered their leader using a trick and an evil dictator who must be put down.
So when Shen made a move against Shu, they immediately reached out to the kingdom and offered their assistance. The quote, 'the enemy of the enemy is my friend.' perfectly captures their standing.
"According to the information provided by Master Gazelle of the Kung fu council herself, the army consists of around 200 Gorilla soldiers, 500 wolves and around three hundred other soldiers of Gongmen city." He said and paused to read the scroll more carefully.
"It seems the soldiers of Gongmen are put at the frontlines to be used as pawns while nearly half of Shen's army are still stationed in the city to control the citizens. Master Ox and Master Croc are also stationes in the frontlines and the army is directly led by Shen and..."
"Tai Lung."
Silence descended the throne room but you could hear a groan from the Monkey King.
"Are you sure they are coming for us and not the other kingdoms?" The King asked in a hopeful tone.
"Yes, they made it clear that they meant to attack us in their speech and the direction they are moving directly points towards us."
"How long till they reach the kingdom?" One noble asked.
"At the time of writing this scroll, the army is still on the boat crossing the Pearl Lake. But the weapons Shen created are heavy so they should take some time to reach here. It will take them around three days to reach our borders."
"We got more than enough time to prepare then. General, what do you think should be our next course of action." the King asked.
The Mandrill took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, "We send scouts and spy to check on the situation and how the army is separated. They are not that many so they may not even separate."
"We need to put our forces on the North, that is the place they will most likely attack from." the general said.
There were not many towers or walls built in the North so it was the most suitable place for an attack, especially if they were only a 1000 force strong.
The East, West and South were all places where they shared a border with the neighbouring kingdom, the Nanzhao Kingdom.
There were plenty of towers, barracks, camps, walls etc built there and the soldiers who were always stationed there were well-trained and plentiful.
Meanwhile, the North was peaceful and the soldiers they put there were mostly to fend off bandits and protect trading routes and nothing else. There were no other Kingdoms located there as it was foreign ground and that made it more vulnerable.
So if someone with a small army were to launch an attack, it would most likely be from the North. They would make their way through the cities and capture thier capital that way.
"Okay, then we need to send reinforcement to the North. We will show that peacock just who he is messing with. Lord Shen's ambition dies here because he chose the wrong kingdom to attack first." The Orangutan King said.
For now, they will send their army to the north and wait for more information about the enemy. Fortunately, the enemy was respecting the Code of Wars and it makes things easier.
They outnumber Shen's army by one to a hundred, even if Tai Lung was to lead them it wouldn't make up for the differences in sheer numbers.
Amongst them, only the Monkey King who was the guardian of the capital city was doubtful.
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While the leaders of Shu were busy making plans and coming up with a strategy to deal with the real threat which was the alliance of Shen and Tai Lung, a foreboding storm was brewing all across China.
The other Kingdoms were spying on the events carefully and became silent observers at the moment. They were waiting for the right time to move where they would be able to reap the most benefits.
They did not send reinforcement to the Kingdom of Shu nor made trouble in the borders to take advantage of their preparation, instead, they gave Lord Shen and the Kingdom of Shu the space they needed to battle against each other.
The hearts of the people all across China were also struck by fear and anticipation, although wars were common and hearing thenews of different kingdoms waging wars was not that rare, what was happening before them was something new.
Something more, cursed.
Tai Lung, the name struck chords of fear in their heart as his strength and threat rang out like a melody throughout China.
Although he was hated, feared and everything in between, people were not strangers to the power this snow leopard holds.
Yet he was now armed with even more power. The Supreme General Tai Lung naturally held more weight than the villain/criminal Tai Lung.
Trade still flourished even in Gongmen city and the people were still living their normal lives as the Codes of War were respected but everyone knew that a great change was happening around them in real time.
China was silent and still as it witnessed history, the start of a legendary Saga.
....
On the West Coast of China, a certain Snow Leopard leapt off the boat and landed on the sand. His senses took in the world around him in meticulous detail that would overloaded the mind of the average animal.
A thick fog covered the surroundings but as if having the ability to see through the clouds, a smile crept up to his face as he looked towards the Kingdom of Shu.
"And so it begins." He said.
He was wearing a gauntlet and a shoulder guard made from iron to show his status as the general but he left the rest of his torso bare to the world as if saying he did not need the protection of any armour.
A seemingly reckless attire for a general who was about to fight a war but if you knew the extent of his power, you would understand why he did not need such heavy and restricting armour.
And then behind him, many boats arrived at the beach and the Gorilla soldiers leaped out of the boat to anchor them and to unload the cannons contained.
"Get ready!!! Anchor the boats and unload the weapons! Don't keep the general waiting!!" Boss Wolf quickly yelled out his orders before he howled into the sky.
All of the wolves in the pack quickly joined the howl and the fog slowly disappeared to reveal hundreds of soldiers landing on the beach, preparing for war.
..
..
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[3rd POV]
(The Spirit Realm)
"Hmmmmmmmmmmm." Oogway hummed as he floated near a peach tree. His body was positioned in a meditative position and his eyes were closed in concentration.
After a long time of meditation, the old tortoise who never found peace and rest even after death opened his eyes.
"This is truly bad." He said with a sagely nod but a carefree chuckle followed.
Even though he was just a spirit in the spirit realm, he could still see the events happening in the mortal realm and he still had his foresight.
Even if no one was aware of it, he was guiding the world from the spirit realms. He did this mostly by sending messages to the people in the mortal realm.
Oogway let out a sigh and shook his head. For a master who preached the teaching of inner peace and was considered the wisest of all, he sure did have many regrets after his death.
Most of which he only came to realize now after his death. There were many things he wished he had done differently.
..
..
But that's okay. Oogway smiled.
For so long he considered himself to be wise and thought he had learned everything there was to learn. But the universe had a strange way of enlightening someone.
He was not perfect, he was not without flaws. But that gave Oogway a chance to have faith again.
!!!!!
Oogway tilted his head slightly as a green blade whizzed past him. He finally opened his eyes and saw his old friend Kai who had returned once more to battle him.
"Ah, Kai. I was tired of waiting for you." Oogway said and a wrinkly smile appeared on his aged face.
"Oh? Did you miss me already while I was away?" Kai chuckled and pulled back his chained blade with a flick of his wrist.
"I found something interesting while I was away." Kai said and showed off a jade amulet which was shaped like a Rhino.
"He was an interesting kid. Had a powerful Chi too." Kai said with a smile and flexed his muscles which bulged out with raw strength once held by Master Rhino.
"Ah, Master Thundering Rhino." Oogway said, recognizing the Chi before he shook his head with pity. "Such a tragedy to see him here so young. The young child had much to learn."
"Yeah, Yeah, anyways..." Kai drawled as he scratched his chin with his blade. "Have you ever heard of a warrior named Tai Lung?"
Oogway froze for a brief instance, "I may or may not have heard of him yes." He said with a wry smile.
"I fough with the Rhino kid to steal his children and before I finally turned him into a Jade Pendant, I told him to be glad that he was going to be extinguished by my hands, the strongest warrior he has ever fought."
"And?"
"And, the kid said I was not the strongest warrior he had fought. He said that title belongs to someone named Tai Lung."
A peal of laughter rolled off Oogway's throat, "I can see that, yes."
"Are you mocking me?"
"How can I mock you, my old friend? You are like a brother to me." Oogway said while wiping a tear off his eye.
Kai huffed and released steam from his nose. Then he started spinning his weapon, getting ready to fight again.
"Get ready for round....whatever it is." Kai said and an excited smile soon split his face.
Oogway smiled for one last time before his eyes started glowing golden and the hero Chi surrounded him.
Kai was taken aback as it was the first time he had seen Oogway get serious in their confrontation.
"I'm sorry Kai but I will have to hold you back here for a little bit longer." He said, "The world is still not ready for your revival."
"Bastard!!" Kai yelled and exploded out to clash with his old friend.
A great explosion erupted in the spirit real, desentegrating everything in the vicinity as two powerhouses met in an epic clash.
This was one-way Oogway could repent for his mistake. Kai was not as strong as canon since he did not get Tai Lung's Chi so he would be able to hold him off for a little longer.
But all he can do was buy more time for the world.
Kai's return was inevitable.
.
.
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[IMAGE : Important character pictures, must see]
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