It was halfway through fall when the waters of the Changjiang began to flow backwards. At first, it had just been small signs, the waters creeping up the banks of the river a bit more than usual. Then, news from southern Yang. Whispered rumours that a large, black cloud had travelled over the mountains and into the unexplored land down south. It had seemed inconsequential. But it was only the beginning.

One cool autumn day, the Changjiang had reversed its course. With a huge, wailing splash, the waters had stormed uphill, crashing over the Grand Chancellor’s recently built walls and washing into the city. Doors were washed away from their frames. Furniture bobbed in the streets. A knee high deluge of water now swamped the Capital, covering everything in a thin layer of riverbed mud.

Lin surveyed the damage, a scribe taking note of the losses harboured by each household. She had hoped that the walls would lessen the degree of the flooding, but it seemed that was not the case. Fortunately, the families closest to the river had already been relocated further uphill, so while there was property damage, the lives lost had been kept to a minimum.

She and the scribe tallied up those missing or found dead, and paid visits to affected families. There was a lot to do after the flood, and while Lin wanted to hurry on to the next event, she knew that she had to finish up her work before heading off.

Just as they’d finally visited the last home that needed tallying up, a messenger came running to her.

“Report—!” he cried, nearly tripping over the door frame.

“Slow down,” said Lin, stopping the messenger and ushering him back out the door, away from the curious gazes of the family they had been interviewing. “What is it?”

“A ship was spotted coming up the river from the south!” he panted. “A huge warship! We don’t know how something that big got past the rocky region of the river!”

An army will advance from the south.

“I see,” said Lin calmly. “How much longer do we have till it gets to the Capital?”

“Estimated three days.”

“Thank you. Send word to the Palace to inform His Majesty. Interrupt the court if you must,” she turned to the scout. “Have the newly built docks been destroyed by the flood?”

“No, Grand Chancellor,” the scout bowed, his voice filled with urgency. “The bottom floor has been flooded, but the additional upper section remains dry and stable.”

“Good enough,” she sighed, and began making her way back to the Palace. “We have much to do.”

By the time she and the scout arrived, the Imperial Palace was in a state of panic. Servants rushed here and there, and court seemed to have been adjourned, the officials hurrying off somewhere else. She pushed past the throngs of servants and officials till she reached the throne room, where the Emperor sat, flicking through a bundle of bamboo scrolls.

“Your Majesty,” she bowed before him. “I have arrived.”

“Yao Lin!” the Emperor thundered, his eyes sharp. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Pardon?”

“Why was I only informed of this invasion now? Three days!” he held up three fingers to emphasise his point. “Three days till this unidentified army comes straight to my door!”

“I apologise for my negligence, your Majesty,” she got down on her knees and kowtowed before him. “I only recently received the news as well.”

The Emperor grumbled and waved his hand dismissively.

“No matter. It’s too late anyway,” he slumped back in his seat. “What do you suggest we do? Order the armies in the outskirts to return to the Capital?”

“They will not arrive in time,” Lin dipped her head. “Instead, please allow me to take five carts of fine silk and ten carts of gold to the new docks. I will meet the intruders myself.”

The Emperor frowned. He then sighed, and waved his hand.

“I will allow it. You have shown your resourcefulness so far. I will trust your judgement a while longer.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” she got up and bowed once more. “I will not let you down.”

A day later, Lin found herself standing atop the docks, a gentle breeze flowing through her hair. She had dressed herself in the finest robes she owned, and put on the untouched jewellery that other officials had gifted her upon her rise to the role of Grand Chancellor. Behind her waited a total of twenty cartloads of riches and finery, and beyond that, the armies of Yang lined the streets. All waiting for the arrival of the intruders.

They did not have to wait long. Soon, from around the bend came a large, black ship. It was an odd ship, unlike anything that she’d seen before. For one, it was made of metal instead of wood, large, thin slabs of metal hammered into place to make the hull. Secondly, it had chimneys.

Dirty, black smoke puffed out the chimneys stationed at the highest point of the warship, streaming along behind it as it advanced upstream. It was fast for its size, unnaturally so, even with the reversed river aiding its progress. Within a couple minutes, the boat had rolled up to the docks and stopped. The ship was a lot bigger than she’d anticipated, its deck towering high above the upper levels of the dock.

And then nothing happened. The boat just sat there at the docks, the wind blowing black smoke into their faces. The armies behind her shifted uncomfortably.

Lin raised her hands to the sky and called out at the top of her voice.

“Welcome, foreign visitors!”

She waited.

There was no reply.

“This is the Kingdom of Yang,” she tried again.

Nothing.

“We do not wish for conflict. Only to talk.”

That seemed to prompt a response. With a deafening crash, a section of the boat’s wall fell open onto the docks, splinters from the wooden beams flying everywhere. Framed in the opening was a tall figure dressed in gleaming armour.

The figure strode down the gangplank to meet Lin, their long hair flying in the wind. Lin bowed deeply as they approached her, her eyes cast downwards.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Yang, esteemed visitor. I am the Grand Chancellor, Yao Lin.”

The figure turned their head to glance around at the city, and nodded.

“I thank you for your welcome, Yao Lin,” from the tone of voice, Lin determined that the figure was a woman. “I am the Queen of the southern Ruo kingdom, Li Zhi Yuan. With the rise of the river waters, we went on an expedition upstream, hoping to find riches and unite new lands under the banner of the Ruo. I hope our arrival was not too much of an imposition on your kingdom.”

At the mention of the Queen’s status, Lin dropped into a kneel and dipped her head lower.

“Of course not, your Majesty. All of Yang is touched by your presence,” she waved her hand in the direction of the cartloads of wealth. “These are welcoming gifts from our Emperor to you.”

“Rise.”

The Ruo Queen stepped past her and over to the carts. The metal bits and bobs on her armour tinkled as she moved. She surveyed the contents for a while, before turning back to Lin.

“These are fine gifts. Finer than anything I’ve ever seen,” she murmured. “Your kingdom must be prosperous indeed.”

“I thank you for your compliment,” Lin replied, getting up. “These are but humble trinkets to welcome visitors from another land. The reception begins in the Palace, if you would follow me.”

“I think I will. I want to talk with your… Emperor.”

She gestured to the armies, and they parted, revealing a clear way to the Imperial Palace. The Ruo Queen gave a hum of approval before summoning a few attendants to join her. Peering into the hull of the ship the queen had arrived in, Lin could spot the silver glint of sharp weapons through the darkness. She shivered. There was an army in that ship, that was for sure.

She was unclear on the Ruo Queen’s intentions, but at the very least, she was considering diplomacy. Even if she wasn’t, the armies were still stationed near the ship. If any of them decided to attack, the Yang armies would still be prepared.

She led the Ruo Queen and her attendants all the way to the Imperial Palace and into the dining hall. There, the Emperor sat waiting for them, accompanied by a lavish feast. Lin sat by the Emperor’s side, and the Queen and her attendants opposite to them. At the front of the dining hall, a small performance was taking place. A sword dancer twirled his tasseled sword, accompanied by fine music. Together, they dined and drank.

All throughout the dinner, the Queen did not say anything, focusing on her food. Lin snuck several glances at the Emperor. He seemed to be nervous, picking at his food instead of tucking in like he usually did.

Lin did not blame him. After all, they knew nothing of the lands beyond the mountains in the south. What the Ruo Queen had intended for them still remained to be seen.

All they could do was put on a welcoming reception and flaunt their wealth and power. Hopefully, the Queen would come to believe that the Yang was not to be messed with and leave peacefully.

Finally, after the dishes had been cleared away and the entertainment dismissed backstage, the Ruo Queen spoke.

“I thank you for such a generous reception. But let us get down to business, shall we?”

“Of course,” said the Emperor, leaning forwards over the table. “What does the Queen of Ruo wish to discuss?”

“I’m sure you don’t know of the Ruo’s might,” the Queen clasped her hands in front of her. “The lands of Ruo are blessed with an abundance of coal and precious ores. As a result, we specialise in weapons manufacturing and maritime trade with a variety of our vassal states. The steam engine on our boat, in particular, was imported technology from a kingdom far across the sea.”

“To be blunt, we came upstream in search of new vassal states, new lands to recruit under our banner,” the Queen gestured amicably towards the Emperor. “Would the Yang be interested?”

“That…” the Emperor‘s eyebrows furrowed.

“Don’t worry, the Ruo is quite powerful,” said the Queen. “We have weapons that can kill ten men with one strike, arrows the size of javelins. As our vassal state, the Yang will be under our protection. Only in exchange for yearly remuneration and your sovereignty.”

That was quite the claim, Lin thought to herself. If anything, it served as both an offer and a warning. If the Yang did not agree, the Ruo was fully capable of taking the kingdom by force.

“Well…” the Emperor’s eyes shifted towards Lin, seeking her help.

“That is quite the generous offer, your Majesty,” Lin said. “But I believe that you may be mistaken.”

“Oh?” the Queen’s eyebrows raised.

“Although the Yang may not have the military strength of the Ruo, we have connections all over the continent,” Lin gestured. “Our silks and pottery are a luxury highly sought after. We have countless vassal states of our own. Forgive me for my harsh words, but what makes the Ruo believe that our kingdoms do not stand as equals, but instead as vassals and lords?”

There was a moment of tense silence. The Emperor fidgeted in his seat.

Then, the Queen picked up her cup and drank deeply from it.

“If what you say is true, then I may have indeed misjudged the might of the Yang,” remarked the Queen. “I apologise.”

She raised her head.

“To tell the truth, we may be the ones in greater need of this transaction.”

“Please elaborate,” replied Lin.

“All of Ruo has been suffering from a great famine. Pestilence spreads through our farmlands, each year’s harvest smaller than the last. The past five years, our people have been surviving off of fish, and even that is running out quickly as we trawl our waters clean. All our vassal states are located across the sea, making import of food pricey and difficult. We took the opportunity presented by the Changjiang flowing upstream as a sign from tian ming. That there would be food further north.”

“My deepest sympathies to the Ruo and its people,” said the Emperor, finally speaking up. “Thank fate, the Yang has yet to see such a disaster befall its lands.”

The Queen nodded.

“Allow me to try again. The Ruo kingdom hopes to enter a mutually beneficial alliance with the Yang. The Yang will provide priority and benefits when trading with the Ruo, while the Ruo will offer military support and protection to the Yang.”

“A fine offer,” said Lin. “May we write down the details in a formal contract?”

“Of course.”

The rest of the meeting took place in pleasant discussion, with Lin and the Ruo Queen smoothing out the details of the alliance. At the end, when everything was finalized and satisfactory to both parties, the Emperor and the Ruo Queen stamped their seals on the paper, signing the deal. Then, the Ruo Queen bid farewell to the Emperor and returned south in her boat, puffing black smoke as they went.

The Ruo army never showed their face.

Lin watched them go, and couldn’t help but smile.

Only one more thread left.