Chapter Forty-Seven: The Wager (Part Four)

Faced with Su Yunyun’s questioning, Sun Li’s heart twisted—so this was what it all came down to! He felt both relieved and frustrated. Everything he had done was for the sake of driving out the invaders from the British Empire, with the ultimate goal of liberating the entire wood elf people. Well, and perhaps taking a bit of gold as compensation along the way...

“I suppose no matter how much I explain myself now, you wouldn’t believe me. After so long in the British Empire, I imagine your trust in me has been all but depleted. I won’t argue further. I came here to make you a promise: I will lead the Song army to help the wood elves reclaim their lost homeland!” Sun Li declared solemnly.

“Reclaim our homeland? With what? The gold coins you received from the British Empire? Or perhaps your vaunted knight’s martial prowess? Surely you don’t think you alone can take on an army? Do you take me for a child? Sitting in this seat, I understand far better than you the terrifying might of the British colonists in the Mexico region!” Su Yunyun cried out in anguish.

“Can you not hear me? I said I’d bring the Song army—try to calm yourself! Don’t let your emotions cloud your mind with pointless words,” Sun Li said, exasperated at the hopelessness in Su Yunyun’s expression.

“The Song Dynasty? Such a powerful nation, is it? How many troops does your so-called Great Song have—ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Fifty thousand? I’ve long since learned how things work in the Song. A nation that, in this day and age, still openly divides its commoners into rigid castes—let’s say you could muster every first-class citizen for the front. How many would that be? Most of the lower classes are just waiting for the Song’s army to be spread thin, so they can topple that tyrant on the throne!

You know as well as I do—if war breaks out here in Mexico, nearly a hundred thousand mercenaries could be rallied in an instant. This place is crawling with blade-licking mercenaries, and the slave trade has sown the entire continent with desperate men of war. Even if the Song mustered every last soldier and militia, pulling together a force of a hundred thousand would be a miracle! And don’t tell me the Song militiamen are somehow braver than these seasoned mercenaries. These mercenaries have spent years at war with our wood elf warriors!

Most crucially, I seriously doubt your tyrant back in the Song would ever send out his prized regulars, all twenty thousand of them. Does he not fear that the lower classes he scorns would smash his throne the moment his precious troops are gone? Wake up, Sun Li. I’m glad you came—I’m glad you still see me as a friend, and that you didn’t bring a colonial army here to arrest me. I’ll pretend I never saw you today.

But you must understand, everything you did in the British Empire has branded you a traitor in the eyes of all the wood elves. Not just me—all of us!

Every last one! You may have spared the wood elves with your power, which is the only reason our warriors haven’t struck at you, but do you know how reviled your name is here? Do you know how much ridicule poor, naïve Lulu has faced defending you? Do you know how many tears she’s shed on your behalf!?

You know nothing—you’re just a self-righteous fool, seeing yourself as some hero destined to save the world!

Enough—go. Don’t come back to the wood elves. Our humble sanctuary cannot bear your presence.”

Su Yunyun shut her eyes, and as she finished, her voice began to tremble.

“Believe it or not, I only came to remind you of my promise: I swore to help the wood elves rebuild their homeland, and I will never go back on my word! In two months at most, you’ll see whether the Mexico region remains unshakable. I hope, when the time comes, your people will rise as well and not let your allies’ efforts go to waste!”

Hearing her out, Sun Li realized that nothing he said could change anything now. The wood elves as a whole already saw him as a power-hungry traitor.

Ah, poor, sweet Lulu—she must be the only one who still believes this “traitor” might be a good man.

Hmph. I’ll let my actions speak for themselves. Hopefully, Su Yunyun will heed my warning and make preparations for war. If, when the army lands, the wood elves are still unprepared, the coming battle for Mexico will be a hard one indeed...

Seeing how Sun Li still clung to his so-called reinforcements, a hope Su Yunyun barely dared acknowledge flickered in her heart. Could Sun Li truly work a miracle? She quickly shook off such fantasies—she knew all too well the current state of the Song Dynasty.

A centralized empire where minorities ruled over the majority, maintaining control through the violent oppression of other ethnic groups. The lower classes lived only marginally better than the wood elves. This meant the Song could never recruit its oppressed into the military—armed, they would be too dangerous to control! The Song’s stability depended on the extraordinary unity of its elite—the government, army, and wealth were concentrated in their hands. Perhaps this was the emperor’s only redeeming quality: absolute control over both the military and the treasury. However dissatisfied the people might be, they could only accept their lot.

Try as she might, Su Yunyun could not imagine how the Song could send a great army to defeat the powerful British Empire. For a moment, her pride flared, and, not knowing what possessed her, she blurted out a rash promise that later filled her with embarrassment.

“If you truly help the wood elves in Mexico reclaim our homeland and drive out the British colonists for good, then I, Su Yunyun, will become your servant for life!”

The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them—not that she lacked courage, but offering herself up as a wager before Sun Li felt utterly mortifying.

Sun Li’s eyes lit up at once, a broad smile spreading across his face. 3P, 3P—at last, a glimmer of hope!

“It’s a deal! But I won’t need a servant—if you and your sister both marry me, that will be enough!” he laughed.

With just a few words, the tension between them melted away. Sun Li was grinning triumphantly, while Su Yunyun, flustered and blushing, could only stamp her foot in vexation, unable to retort. What was she thinking, saying such things to this scoundrel? As if she didn’t have enough worries already. Still, if he truly helped the wood elves reclaim their home, he would deserve to be called a hero, beginning to end.

As these thoughts swirled, her cheeks grew so red they seemed ready to drip with embarrassment. She hardly noticed the infuriatingly smug look on Sun Li’s face.