Free Dynasty: The Glorious Strategist (Dynasty Saga Book 3) by Sam Ryan

those lords still undecided in the matter.”
    “Not to mention that many lords believe that we have the blessings of The Heavens themselves,” Alia added with a rather enthusiastic look at Lymee. “Even if they are unable to admit it publicly. To have the Gift from The Heavens take a side will add credibility to this rebellion or to the Empress.”
    “Great, a holy war,” Lymee sighed crossing her arms. “Jesus Christ. Remember when I said I didn’t want to be some religious figure,” she half mumbled.
    From the first day since she had arrived in this world people had thought her some sort of gift sent from The Heavens. Alia being the main one, but that might have faded into the background if it were not for a title that Alia had given her after winning the battle for Hu Province. Alia had said she was as crafty as a fox and a true gift from The Heavens and so she called her the Heavenly Fox.
    Only the other Lords had taken the name seriously and thought she was in fact a fox sent from The Heavens themselves. The rumors about her spread like all false rumors do taking everything that had happened out of proportion and greatly exaggerating them.
    Even when Lymee was all the way across the Kingdom she could still find people talking about the Heavenly Fox and how she had seduced her way in power and had personally slain entire armies with her magic, calling down storms and what not. She had even started to hear some talking about how she had managed to catch the assassin’s arrow right out of the sky.
    “I fear there is little we can do about it now,” Alia stated. “For better or for worse the rumors of you have spread all across the Kingdom. I doubt there is any noble who has not heard of you. We simply need to figure out how to best use this situation to our advantage.”
    “Sure,” Lymee nodded. “What would happen if we went the way of Switzerland and stayed neutral? Refused to side with one side or the other.”
    “In all honesty,” Keo took a breath letting her arms fall to her sides. “Gon and the other Dynasties see this as a ‘for us or against us’ scenario. If we do not openly support them then they will assume that we are in league with the Empress. In which case-”
    “The combined forces of Gon, Song, and Fu would wipe us out,” Sai finished with a determined look. “I doubt there is a strategist in the world who could beat their numbers with what we have.”
    “I wouldn’t say that,” Lymee said her eyes darting back and forth as she looked the map over.
    Hannibal had decimated the Romans for years with a force about the size that Su possessed but Lymee did not think that she was anywhere close to Hannibal’s equal and did not wish to test it.
    “But I see your point,” Lymee nodded. “And if we do chose to side with the Empress? Not saying I want too, but if we did,” Lymee clarified, holding out her hand to emphasize her point.
    “More than likely,” Keo reached out tapping her finger on Hong Dynasty. Su’s neighbors and the Dynasty that stood between Su and the Empress. “Hong is, as far as we can tell, one of the undecided Dynasties. They are extremely loyal to the Empress but their Lord, like our own,” she glanced at Alia who simply smiled back, “is also an extremely devoted to The Heavens. If we sided with the Empress that would be all the reason they would need to do the same. In which case, if we were to petition them for aid they would no doubt send us reinforcements to help secure our borders.”
    “And Su would become one huge battlefield,” Lymee said grasping the situation. “Destroying countless fields, burning forest and razing towns,” Lymee sighed rocking her jaw back and forth. “Win or lose we still lose.”
    “My thoughts exactly,” Alia said.
    Keo and Sai both nodded in agreement.
    “Alright,” Lymee stated crossing her arms. “So our only option seems to be siding with this alliance that Gon has offered. That was kinda my first choice