11-22-2019, 06:42 AM
Heaven's Gate Dam. 23:42 military time.
Brigadier General Wu Sangui, Prince of the Empire and commander of the Heaven's Gate defensive Brigade, performed his nightly ritual of walking across the entire length of the dam. The 2km walk before he turned in for the night allowed him to visually judge the defenses of the most important strategic asset in the southern shen Empire. The Heaven's Gate Dam provided a sizable portion of the nation's energy. It also regulated the flow of water downstream preventing Mass flooding in the Grand River Valley or the Blue River Valley. It was a symbol of the Empire's March into modernity. One of the modern wonders of the world, as great an engineering achievement to Modern Man, as the Golden Tower in the celestial Palace was to the citizens of the Empires' glorious past.
That also made it the most tempting military target in the entire nation. A catastrophic failure of the Dam would result in millions of deaths from flooding and a catastrophic level of destruction downstream. An atrocity so grand that it would completely reverse the course of the Empire. No longer steadily building up its economy and emerging as a regional power, but rapidly declining with the central government struggling to hold the nation together.
Ensuring the safety of the dam was a full Brigade of Imperial soldiers. 15000 men and women of all three branches of the military, prepared to defend the dam, all under the command of Brigadier General Wu.
The prince found the orderly and routine life of the military to his liking when he was a young boy. Choosing to study at the military academy and even taking courses in military academies abroad, he had gained a reputation as a brilliant tactician and one of the nations leading experts on anti-guerrilla warfare and anti-terrorism tactics. He was a logical choice to command the Heavens Gate garrison.
The prince pulled his thick standard issue wool Overcoat a little tighter as the wind started to pick up. A chill had started to blow in from the north and it was nipping at the prince's nose. His Command Staff including Colonel Shi, Lt.Col Feng, and intelligence specialist agents Shun, followed him as he walked.
"... I have my agents who are stationed in more problematic rebel villages on high alert." Shun replied, seemingly unaffected by the nipping cold even though she only wore a pencil skirt and a matching black capelet jacket over a thin white blouse. The chilling temperatures seeming to not affect the middle-aged woman even though the other three people present we're almost shivering through their thick coats.
"... if one of these foreign agents makes a move you will know about it General"
"... I think you're blowing this all out of proportion." Colonel Shi replied, starting to physically shiver as another gust of wind blew through his thin black hair, his Olive Overcoat not providing him nearly the amount of warmth he would have desired in the cold conditions.
" how many of these agents could there really be? The sheer amount of resources it would take to even train a single class of them would be monstrous. There can't be more than a handful throughout the entire nation. And honestly, what could a handful of foreign agents due to an entire nation?"
".... never underestimate the determination of an individual Colonel," General Wu said as the trio walked along the length of the Dam.
" We gain nothing from underestimating our opponents. The Empire has enjoyed a century of peace and prosperity under my dynasty. That Prosperity will continue, as long as we do not grow complacent. When my mother ascends to heaven and it is my turn to sit on the throne, I will not allow our prosperity to breed indolence."
" you seem very sure that you'll be the one chosen General" shun said, her old devious smirk illuminated by the ignition of a cigarette.
"... do any of you agents not smoke? I've worked with members of the Shingzi Ren since I was a Lieutenant and every one of them smokes. Is your entire pension invested in the tobacco industry?" The colonel said changing the topic with a joke. The topic of succession was not one he liked to talk about, especially not openly.
" smoking reduces stress," she replied back before sucking in a long huff of smoke and keeping it in her lungs for a moment before exhaling through her nose
" it might reduce my life expectancy, but people in my line of work don't tend to enjoy retirement for too long if they're lucky enough to get to it"
The chilling comment, caused the colonel to go silent. He looked back at the Lieutenant Colonel who served under him hoping that the younger Fang had something to say.
But the youngest of the group wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. His head was drawn back looking along the length of the dam that they had just walked.
" do you guys hear anything? I thought I just heard foot…"
As Fang was about to finish his comment two individuals burst out from behind a truck. They have been concealing themselves there waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But the lieutenant had spoiled their plans. They were forced to jump out prematurely.
The General began to instinctively reach for his pistol. Time seemed to slow down as he attempted to draw the pistol to defend himself.
The two assailants began to line up their shots. Clearly intending on making this quick.
They were just about to line up a clear shot on the Prince when the sound of gunfire rang out from their side. The lieutenant colonel, already having put his hand on the grip of his gun after hearing the footsteps, drew to the hip and squeeze the trigger 4 times, in rapid succession. The sound of four 45 caliber bullets screeching through the air and breaking the sound barrier echoed over the dam. Soldiers stationed across its entire length suddenly look towards the sound of gunfire. The entire defense apparatus roared to life.
Just as for the sirens began to blare, the first of the 4 rounds slammed into the rib cage of the assailant. Shattering his lower ribs before ripping through his organs, and traveling out to the other side.
Nearly simultaneously a second bullet entered through his chest cavity. Piercing his heart and ending his life.
Just as the other assailant was looking towards the source of gunfire a third bullet ripped through his right hand. He yelled in pain as his hand slowly lost the grip of the gun and his pistol began to fall to the ground.
The fourth bullet flew over the head of its targets and embedded itself in the concrete of the dam
As one of the assailants crumble to the ground dead, and the other one fell backwards, screaming in pain, agent Shun, slammed her boot on to the bloody stump of his arm before reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a butterfly knife. With a single flick of her wrist, the blade was brought out and pressed against the neck of the would-be assassin.
" Who are you!? Why are you trying to kill the General? Answer me, and I will only punish you for treason and not your whole family”.
Another scream of pain Echo throughout the cold valley
" I'm not….a a traitor... I'm part of the Imperial Guard"
Bewildering shock found itself on the face of the entire company. If what this man said was true and he was a member of the Imperial Guard, there would be only one reason he was trying to assassinate the Prince
The agent stopped pressing the knife against the guardsman's neck.
"...oh no...is she…"
He weekly nodded "... the Empress is dead"
with that news, everyone quickly traveled down the same thought process. If the empress is dead that meant her children would be killed. And if the Imperial Guard was going after General Wu it meant he was not the chosen successor.
Realizing that since the Imperial Guardsman has failed it was now up to her, Shun slowly moved her kife. Ready to throw it into the neck of the general.
when she was getting into position, the clicking of a Hammer being drawn back made her stop.
" don't you even think about it" Colonel shi shouted, pointing the gun directly at her head. He had come to the same realization and was quick to make sure the agent couldn't fulfill one of her primary missions which was to secure the succession.
"... General this is insane. You're clearly the best candidate from amongst your siblings. Look you have the support of the Garrison here. I bet you if we started to March North we could rally other troops to our Banner. We could walk into the Imperial Palace and take it."
" Traitors!" Shun shouted. She sneered at the colonel. Rage and hate emitting off her face, like heat from a fire. Caused by his open discussion of triggering a civil war " may you die a thousand deaths!"
General Wu had been motionless since the assassins had been dealt with. His hand was still on his pistol, but he had been unable to draw it in time. The realization that is Mother was gone, had chosen someone else to succeed her, and that his second-in-command was now proposing starting a civil war to put him on the throne, all slammed him at the same time. Crushing him internally like a ton of concrete. It was like he had been put underneath the great dam on which he stood.
The world came to a sudden stop. Everything Stood Still. Even the water rushing through the dam was a solid as ice. The general was left with just his own thoughts for a single solitary moment. His decision right here could affect the fate of an Empire. He had been offered a crown. Not a crown of Heaven but a crown of blood. One that he could put on at this very moment and used to claim The Sovereign right of Heaven. The colonel was right about one thing. The soldiers here would follow him if he were to give such an order. But this was just one part of a vast Army. How many more units would rally to his cause? And more importantly, even if he could rally an army and march on the capital, what would that accomplish? It would set the nation on a path to Civil War. A destructive conflict that would undo all of the progress of his entire Dynasty. No. The Empire wasn't worth the ambitions of a single man. It was bigger than that. The God Empress knew what she was doing when she chose a successor. And if it wasn't him then so be it. He would not abandon his beliefs.
Everyone watched as he finally pulled his pistol from his belt. He looked down upon that cold steel case. The world sped back to real-time as he breathed in and out knowing what he had to do.
They watched as he put the pistol up to his head and looks defiantly at the colonel who had suggested treason and Civil War
"LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!"
and with a simple pull up his own trigger, it was all over
Brigadier General Wu Sangui, Prince of the Empire and commander of the Heaven's Gate defensive Brigade, performed his nightly ritual of walking across the entire length of the dam. The 2km walk before he turned in for the night allowed him to visually judge the defenses of the most important strategic asset in the southern shen Empire. The Heaven's Gate Dam provided a sizable portion of the nation's energy. It also regulated the flow of water downstream preventing Mass flooding in the Grand River Valley or the Blue River Valley. It was a symbol of the Empire's March into modernity. One of the modern wonders of the world, as great an engineering achievement to Modern Man, as the Golden Tower in the celestial Palace was to the citizens of the Empires' glorious past.
That also made it the most tempting military target in the entire nation. A catastrophic failure of the Dam would result in millions of deaths from flooding and a catastrophic level of destruction downstream. An atrocity so grand that it would completely reverse the course of the Empire. No longer steadily building up its economy and emerging as a regional power, but rapidly declining with the central government struggling to hold the nation together.
Ensuring the safety of the dam was a full Brigade of Imperial soldiers. 15000 men and women of all three branches of the military, prepared to defend the dam, all under the command of Brigadier General Wu.
The prince found the orderly and routine life of the military to his liking when he was a young boy. Choosing to study at the military academy and even taking courses in military academies abroad, he had gained a reputation as a brilliant tactician and one of the nations leading experts on anti-guerrilla warfare and anti-terrorism tactics. He was a logical choice to command the Heavens Gate garrison.
The prince pulled his thick standard issue wool Overcoat a little tighter as the wind started to pick up. A chill had started to blow in from the north and it was nipping at the prince's nose. His Command Staff including Colonel Shi, Lt.Col Feng, and intelligence specialist agents Shun, followed him as he walked.
"... I have my agents who are stationed in more problematic rebel villages on high alert." Shun replied, seemingly unaffected by the nipping cold even though she only wore a pencil skirt and a matching black capelet jacket over a thin white blouse. The chilling temperatures seeming to not affect the middle-aged woman even though the other three people present we're almost shivering through their thick coats.
"... if one of these foreign agents makes a move you will know about it General"
"... I think you're blowing this all out of proportion." Colonel Shi replied, starting to physically shiver as another gust of wind blew through his thin black hair, his Olive Overcoat not providing him nearly the amount of warmth he would have desired in the cold conditions.
" how many of these agents could there really be? The sheer amount of resources it would take to even train a single class of them would be monstrous. There can't be more than a handful throughout the entire nation. And honestly, what could a handful of foreign agents due to an entire nation?"
".... never underestimate the determination of an individual Colonel," General Wu said as the trio walked along the length of the Dam.
" We gain nothing from underestimating our opponents. The Empire has enjoyed a century of peace and prosperity under my dynasty. That Prosperity will continue, as long as we do not grow complacent. When my mother ascends to heaven and it is my turn to sit on the throne, I will not allow our prosperity to breed indolence."
" you seem very sure that you'll be the one chosen General" shun said, her old devious smirk illuminated by the ignition of a cigarette.
"... do any of you agents not smoke? I've worked with members of the Shingzi Ren since I was a Lieutenant and every one of them smokes. Is your entire pension invested in the tobacco industry?" The colonel said changing the topic with a joke. The topic of succession was not one he liked to talk about, especially not openly.
" smoking reduces stress," she replied back before sucking in a long huff of smoke and keeping it in her lungs for a moment before exhaling through her nose
" it might reduce my life expectancy, but people in my line of work don't tend to enjoy retirement for too long if they're lucky enough to get to it"
The chilling comment, caused the colonel to go silent. He looked back at the Lieutenant Colonel who served under him hoping that the younger Fang had something to say.
But the youngest of the group wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. His head was drawn back looking along the length of the dam that they had just walked.
" do you guys hear anything? I thought I just heard foot…"
As Fang was about to finish his comment two individuals burst out from behind a truck. They have been concealing themselves there waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But the lieutenant had spoiled their plans. They were forced to jump out prematurely.
The General began to instinctively reach for his pistol. Time seemed to slow down as he attempted to draw the pistol to defend himself.
The two assailants began to line up their shots. Clearly intending on making this quick.
They were just about to line up a clear shot on the Prince when the sound of gunfire rang out from their side. The lieutenant colonel, already having put his hand on the grip of his gun after hearing the footsteps, drew to the hip and squeeze the trigger 4 times, in rapid succession. The sound of four 45 caliber bullets screeching through the air and breaking the sound barrier echoed over the dam. Soldiers stationed across its entire length suddenly look towards the sound of gunfire. The entire defense apparatus roared to life.
Just as for the sirens began to blare, the first of the 4 rounds slammed into the rib cage of the assailant. Shattering his lower ribs before ripping through his organs, and traveling out to the other side.
Nearly simultaneously a second bullet entered through his chest cavity. Piercing his heart and ending his life.
Just as the other assailant was looking towards the source of gunfire a third bullet ripped through his right hand. He yelled in pain as his hand slowly lost the grip of the gun and his pistol began to fall to the ground.
The fourth bullet flew over the head of its targets and embedded itself in the concrete of the dam
As one of the assailants crumble to the ground dead, and the other one fell backwards, screaming in pain, agent Shun, slammed her boot on to the bloody stump of his arm before reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a butterfly knife. With a single flick of her wrist, the blade was brought out and pressed against the neck of the would-be assassin.
" Who are you!? Why are you trying to kill the General? Answer me, and I will only punish you for treason and not your whole family”.
Another scream of pain Echo throughout the cold valley
" I'm not….a a traitor... I'm part of the Imperial Guard"
Bewildering shock found itself on the face of the entire company. If what this man said was true and he was a member of the Imperial Guard, there would be only one reason he was trying to assassinate the Prince
The agent stopped pressing the knife against the guardsman's neck.
"...oh no...is she…"
He weekly nodded "... the Empress is dead"
with that news, everyone quickly traveled down the same thought process. If the empress is dead that meant her children would be killed. And if the Imperial Guard was going after General Wu it meant he was not the chosen successor.
Realizing that since the Imperial Guardsman has failed it was now up to her, Shun slowly moved her kife. Ready to throw it into the neck of the general.
when she was getting into position, the clicking of a Hammer being drawn back made her stop.
" don't you even think about it" Colonel shi shouted, pointing the gun directly at her head. He had come to the same realization and was quick to make sure the agent couldn't fulfill one of her primary missions which was to secure the succession.
"... General this is insane. You're clearly the best candidate from amongst your siblings. Look you have the support of the Garrison here. I bet you if we started to March North we could rally other troops to our Banner. We could walk into the Imperial Palace and take it."
" Traitors!" Shun shouted. She sneered at the colonel. Rage and hate emitting off her face, like heat from a fire. Caused by his open discussion of triggering a civil war " may you die a thousand deaths!"
General Wu had been motionless since the assassins had been dealt with. His hand was still on his pistol, but he had been unable to draw it in time. The realization that is Mother was gone, had chosen someone else to succeed her, and that his second-in-command was now proposing starting a civil war to put him on the throne, all slammed him at the same time. Crushing him internally like a ton of concrete. It was like he had been put underneath the great dam on which he stood.
The world came to a sudden stop. Everything Stood Still. Even the water rushing through the dam was a solid as ice. The general was left with just his own thoughts for a single solitary moment. His decision right here could affect the fate of an Empire. He had been offered a crown. Not a crown of Heaven but a crown of blood. One that he could put on at this very moment and used to claim The Sovereign right of Heaven. The colonel was right about one thing. The soldiers here would follow him if he were to give such an order. But this was just one part of a vast Army. How many more units would rally to his cause? And more importantly, even if he could rally an army and march on the capital, what would that accomplish? It would set the nation on a path to Civil War. A destructive conflict that would undo all of the progress of his entire Dynasty. No. The Empire wasn't worth the ambitions of a single man. It was bigger than that. The God Empress knew what she was doing when she chose a successor. And if it wasn't him then so be it. He would not abandon his beliefs.
Everyone watched as he finally pulled his pistol from his belt. He looked down upon that cold steel case. The world sped back to real-time as he breathed in and out knowing what he had to do.
They watched as he put the pistol up to his head and looks defiantly at the colonel who had suggested treason and Civil War
"LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!"
and with a simple pull up his own trigger, it was all over
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