Chapter 13: Strategies
Mulan sat in the room with the Emperor and Shen-Li and told them about the Xins and how Chen had inadvertently ended up with them. Chen sat next to her, holding her hand.
"It was Chen that found the dispatches in the little girl's toy dragon."
"How did you know to look there, Chen?" Shen-Li asked.
Chen just shrugged and buried his face in Mulan's shoulder.
"I suspect that he knew the same way as he knew when you were being attacked, Shen-Li," said the Emperor, gazing at Chen. "It would appear that Captain Li has a very unique little brother."
Mulan stared at the Emperor, flabbergasted. Had he been hiding in the hidden room?
"Yes, Fa Mulan," he answered with a slight twinkle in his eye. "I have remained hidden during this crisis, but I am aware of everything that went on here."
Mulan smiled, thinking what a clever and tricky old man the Emperor was. It would take more than the likes of Chi Fu to do him in.
"Captain Li is summoning his own regiment to my council chamber. I would like him brought here for this discussion before we meet the council."
He rang for a servant. When he appeared, the Emperor ordered him to go to the council chamber and summon Captain Li to him. Shang arrived several minutes later with the servant and the Emperor motioned for the servant to leave. Then he gestured for Shang to sit down with Mulan and Chen.
"Shang," Chen began, excited to see his brother.
Mulan hushed him. "You'll talk to Shang later, Chen."
The Emperor smiled in amusement. Then he turned to Shang.
"Captain Li, is your troop assembled?"
"They are in the council room, as are the rest of your council members. Your guards came back and removed the two bodies."
"Very good. You will be in charge of the rest of the guard formerly under Captain Tang in addition to your own regiment."
"Yes, sir."
"The four of us need to come up with a plan of action before I meet with everyone."
"With your permission, your Majesty," Shang began.
"Yes, Captain?"
"The rebels are coming from the east. But they may split up to enter the city from all four directions, expecting us to be waiting at the east entrance."
"Yes, we will need to defend each of the entrances. Also, I am concerned that there are men in the ranks who were loyal to Chi Fu and Captain Tang. They may still be in league with the rebels despite the fact that their two leaders are dead. And they may attempt to sabotage our defense."
"Yes, sir. I will head up one of the four divisions. I was thinking that I could put my three best men in charge of each of the three others. These men are loyal and brave. When we were in battle against the Huns, they were always the first to step forward to help in a crisis. It may not be a foolproof plan, but at least with loyal leaders heading up each section, it may be easy to spot any suspicious behavior and stop it."
Shen-Li spoke up. "I think Captain Li has a good idea. However, I am concerned about spreading the troops thin, especially when we don't know who may be loyal to Chi Fu and Tang. We only know for sure that Captain Li's small troop is not involved. The other idea would be to close off the other entrances, but I'm afraid that would raise suspicions. And we want to catch the rebels now. If they have any warning they may cut off the attack. Then they will just plan another attack for a later day."
"We will meet with everyone in the council chamber. I would like to hear and weigh other opinions before any decision is made," the Emperor said.
"With your permission, your Majesty," Mulan began, "the other possibility is we can somehow get part of the troop to be ready to cut them off before they even arrive at the city entrance."
"We do have a full day to get the troop positioned, sir," Shang said.
"You have all presented good ideas. I will discuss all of these options with the rest of my council. I would like to hear different opinions before I decide. Captain Li, once I have made my decision, you will divide the troops and assign leaders as you see fit."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Fa Mulan will remain in the palace and fill in for Shen-Li while he is recovering. She will continue to watch for treachery within the palace."
"What about Su-Tan?" Chen piped up suddenly.
Shang stared at Chen. "Chen…"
"She's out there with them," Chen continued, ignoring Shang's stern gaze.
The Emperor looked at Chen. "Who is Su-Tan?"
"Su-Tan is the Xins' little girl," Mulan told him. "Shen-Shu was on the way into the palace to warn Chi Fu and Captain Tang that we were here. But his wife went to meet up with the rest of the rebel forces and she has the little girl with her."
"What do you want to do with her when she is found, your Majesty?" Shen-Li asked. "Her parents will hopefully be caught and imprisoned or executed. Either way she will be left parentless and homeless."
"We will deal with it when the time comes," said the Emperor. "But she is innocent in all this. She will not be made to suffer or be punished for her parents' crimes."
"Chen, did you see anything when you went with the Xins? Other people?" Shen-Li asked.
Mulan winced inwardly as the question was asked and glanced at Shang.
"No, I was in the carriage the whole time," Chen answered.
"What?" Shang exclaimed. "You were in the…I thought Chi Fu..." He trailed off.
"Chi Fu grabbed Chen after we found Shen-Li. Chen ran off to find you because he was afraid you were going to be hurt and that's when Chi Fu got him," Mulan answered.
Shang's gaze fell on her and she could feel his eyes practically burning a hole through her. She gestured to him that she would explain everything later.
"Perhaps a small team can be sent in search of the little girl. Perhaps they can intercept the rebels as well," Shen-Li suggested.
"That is a consideration," said the Emperor. "Right now we must meet the rest of the council. Then I will give all of this more thought and make my decision."
"Your Majesty, forgive me," Shang began, "What about Chen? I want him to be safe."
"We will make sure he is safe, Captain. In the morning we will dispatch a messenger to your home to advise your grandfather that he is safe and well. And we will arrange to get Chen home, or at least somewhere safe."
"Thank you, your Majesty."
The Emperor stood up and gestured for Shang and Mulan to follow him with Chen. This time they went out into the hall instead of going back into the hidden passage.
Shang looked at Mulan as they walked to the council chamber.
"Mulan…"
Mulan shook her head. "It's a long story. But I will explain everything later, Shang. I promise."
xxxxxx
"Chen, you were with the Xins all this time, since the night of the banquet?" Shang asked as they sat together in the room they were staying in.
Chen nodded. "Su-Tan is my friend now."
"Why did you run off alone like that? Do you realize what could have happened?"
"I wasn't alone. Su-Tan was with me. And Mushu was with me."
Mulan's stuffed animal Mushu again. Shang dropped his head into his hands and sighed. "Chen. Stop with Mushu already."
"But…"
"Stop," he repeated, quietly but firmly, sitting up and gazing at his little brother.
"You always think I'm lying! I'm not!" Chen suddenly blurted out. He leaped up.
"Chen." Shang grabbed him before he could run away and pulled him back down. "Chen, don't run away again."
Chen wriggled violently, trying to break free of his grip.
Shang tightened his grip on him and Chen stopped squirming finally, realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere.
"Chen, listen to me. When Mulan shot Chi Fu with the arrow before…I thought you were the one that had been hit. Do you have any idea what that was like for me? I thought I had lost you…just like I had lost Father. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Chen suddenly began to sob uncontrollably.
Shang sighed and held him. "Chen, I'm sorry."
He knew his little brother had been through a lot and he understood now that it was all finally hitting him.
He'd been through a lot himself. He'd been frantic and grief-stricken for two weeks and it had taken its toll on him. He was physically and mentally exhausted. And he kept thinking about Captain Tang. Tang was the first person he'd ever killed up close, face-to-face. He'd been trained to be a warrior and he'd had to kill Tang in order to defend his own life and also his country. But it was still a strange feeling to have actually done it.
"He was going to hurt you, Shang," Chen said, tearfully. "You had to defend yourself."
Shang stared down at his little brother, unable to move or speak for several minutes. It was just too eerie the way Chen would always say things in response to what he was thinking, and it always took him aback. He knew that he hadn't been speaking out loud. Chen seemed to just be able to read his mind.
Chen finally cried himself to sleep in Shang's arms. Shang put him into bed and made sure he was calm and untroubled as he slept. Then he got ready for bed and went to sleep, too.
xxxxxx
"Hey, baby."
"Hey, Mushu. Thank you for helping with Chen before. I could have never saved him without you."
"I like that kid. I wouldn't want to let anyone harm a hair on his head."
"Neither would I. I'm glad he's reunited with Shang. Shang was so worried and upset."
"And I'm glad that guy Chi Fu is dead. Listen, are you going to tell Shang about Chen?"
"Yes. When everything is over. I already told him I will."
"So, what's the plan now?"
"Well, we need to scout out the numbers. How many rebels are there in the group? Where are they right now? If we know where they are, the troops can be placed in such a way along the road to surround them. We also need to find Su-Tan. I'm worried about her safety."
Mushu straightened up and saluted her, and so did the cricket that had tagged along all this time.
"At your service, Mulan. We'll be back with information before morning."
