บท 63: War (Final)
[3rd POV]
The great battle of the Chengdu Plain.
It was a battle where one Master fought against Fifty Thousand Soldiers and came out victorious.
The news spread throughout China like a wildfire. The shocking information shook the very foundation of China itself as one name resounded in the hearts of everyone.
The Supreme General Tai Lung.
His past feats of killing Wubao, defeating Master Rhino and even fighting against six members of the Kung Fu council were forgotten as a greater feat struck the hearts of every animal.
it was hard for a simple civilian to be impressed when one master defeated another master as they did not know the true gap in strength between the ordinary and a Kung Fu master. So although impressive, such news were common and never shocked anyone too much.
But going up against 50 thousand soldiers and coming out as the victor? That was something that left the people in absolute awe and worship.
They may not be able to comprehend how impressive the feat of defeating six masters by one is, but they could imagine with their limited mind, how impossible it was to defeat 50 thousand soldiers alone.
That is why Kung Fu masters were mostly known for their accomplishments in wars : Master Thundering Rhino, the slayer of 10 thousand serpents. The Furious Five, slayer of Five Thousand soldiers in the Battle of weeping River.
Although Master Rhino's feat seemed close to Tai Lung's accomplishment on paper, the people know the difference between bandit Serpents and an elite soldier of a kingdom. The soldiers had strength they could comprehend so it was now that they truly realized what kind of warrior Tai Lung was.
The Strongest.
There was no doubt in everyone's mind because no one had even come close to what Tai Lung had just done. Even Master Oogway whose very ground they worshipped as a sacred place had no such feat.
The name of the Dragon Warrior which had been a constant travelling tale was also discarded as the people had a more impressive tale to tell.
The news only intensified when the surviving soldiers started retelling the battle that took place in vivid detail. Their stories, greatly effected by their nightmares and PTSD were truly something else.
The unification of all the Kingdoms in China was first thought to be a joke and was mostly thought to be the ambition of Lord Shen.
But as the story spread, the people came to learn that it was also Tai Lung's ambition just as it was Lord Shen's. And with Tai Lung's great feat of power, the people stopped thinking that it was a mere joke.
It could really happen.
It was a joke when Lord Shen declared it, but after learning that Tai Lung shared the same ambition, many thought it was possible.
A great change was approaching, it was the end of an epoch and the start of a new era.
Tai Lung became more than a failed Dragon Warrior, he became more than a villain in people's minds.
After all, whether they were good or evil, people couldn't help but admire the strong in a world like 'Kung Fu Panda'.
The stories about Tai Lung being evil and going on a rampage also became irrelevant when people realized his true might.
He went on a rampage and did not destroy the entirety of Meilin City? He went on a rampage and the village in the Valley of Peace still existed?
Stop telling lies!! If he truly went on a rampage, such places would be wiped off the map.
A Warrior capable of rivaling 50 thousand soldiers had more than enough strength to bury a city or a village. So what else could these rumours be but lies?
Master Wubao fought bravely and managed to stop Tai Lung from destroying the city? The Dragon warrior earned Tai Lung's respect after their fight?
Nice joke bro!!
All of the previous rumours died as Tai Lung's true show of strength killed them all. People did not even want to act like they believed those in the first place.
After the Battle of Chengdu Plain, there was a drastic change in the people's opinion about Tai Lung.
As he had said, Kung Fu was a form of power that made things absolute. It was a weapon Tai Lung used to battle against the universe itself.
He had changed his fate.
Because no one remembers a villain.
The people only remember Tai Lung.
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..
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There was also a new nickname the people called Tai Lung. After learning of his true might and realizing that his strength could even rival a kingdom by itself, they called him :
The Eleventh Power of China, The Walking Kingdom.
The Supreme General Tai Lung.
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[3rd POV]
After Tai Lung was done with his battle, he went south and started journeying down to the Kingdom of Shu.
He took almost a week to finally reunite with the rest of his army since he took the time to heal from the battle and to also clear up any defence line the Kingdom built up in the North.
It was nothing compared to the 50 thousand soldiers as the army stationed there were only a few thousand. Tai Lung with his new mastery over Chi was easily able to spear through them all.
By the time he met up with his army again, they had already taken over half of the territory of Shu. The battles on Lord Shen's side were also successful as Tai Lung had already spearheaded most of Shu Han's army.
Shen was absolutely ecstatic when he learned of Tai Lung's victory. He was not frightened by Tai Lungs's strength or got angry to be so outshined.
Instead, the peacock was over the moon. This might be confusing to some but they were already allies, so he did not even consider Tai Lung to be an enemy or possible enemy.
For all his villainy, Shen was raised like a royal. The oath which was made in his name, belief and blood on the sacred ground was permanent. He knew that Tai Lung was a great warrior who would forever respect the oath too, just like him.
Also, he had come to consider Tai Lung as something as close to a friend he had. With their shared childhood and similar stories and ambition, it was hard to not call Tai Lung his brother in arms.
Like Oogway and Kai.
They had a lot of time to interact when they made plans and discussed new ways to use gunpowder for war.
This was another reason why Shen liked Tai Lung, he could understand Shen. They both seemed to be made for war and conflict, they saw the explosion and power in the fireworks while the rest of the world got lost in its colours.
..
After the Supreme General and his army finally reunited, they took another week to heal and rejuvenate themselves before they would launch the final attack towards the Kingdom of Shu.
The war started again after a week and it was an absolute demolition on the Shu Han side. The army Shu had remaining was a mere 30 thousand soldiers. Tai Lung alone could destroy them completely.
The Kingdom also lost its general Jin Dao and the morale amongst the soldiers could not get any worse with the reputation of Tai Lung.
They realised they had no chance of winning and were only fighting to protect their honour. The other soldiers who survived the battle of Chengdu Plain did not want to participate in the war anymore as they feared Tai Lung so the Kingdom stood no chance.
After four days of marching towards the capital of Shu while also destroying any forces they sent to stop them, the Kingdom finally surrendered.
This only increased Tai Lung's reputation and proved his worth as a General. He not only possessed individual strength but could lead an army with ease and expertise.
They did not kill anyone anymore after Shu surrendered as is stated in the Codes of War and Lord Shen finally displayed his intellect in politics and was able to get the nobles of even the royal family to continue working under him.
Their main ambition was the unite China and expand to the rest of the world so Lord Shen needed help in ruling all of the territory so he made the kingdom of Shu a vassal state.
He also displayed his charisma again by delivering a speech to the people of Shu where he assured the citizens that their daily life was not going to be affected negatively in any way and that the current ruler was still going to govern them.
He told them not to consider it as a loss but as a victory, because Shu was witnessing the start of a new era. It will be the first kingdom in the quest to unify China so they should celebrate instead of being sad. Tai Lung's reputation really became vital in this part as the people believed the unification of China was possible.
Instead of the loss, Lord Shen gave them a victory and won them over to his side. If they wanted to conquer the world, he knew they needed to maintain a good relation with every Kingdom that comes under them.
They couldn't have a civil war or conflict when they fought against the world after all.
Lord Shen and Tai Lung worked perfectly together as a team, covering each other's weaknesses. This impressive display of turning a hostile enemy into a friendly term was just a small show of Shen's ability.
Although Tai Lung was a warrior, he could respect the scholar's intelligence.
In total, the two of them took one month to take the whole kingdom under them. It was a display of frightenning efficiency as they just accomplished something the rest of the kingdom had been trying to do for centuries.
And with the conquest of Shu Han, Tai Lung and Lord Shen completed the first step towards their ultimate ambition.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : I wonder how satisfying this must be to you all after having dragged Tai Lung's reputation in the mud. It was a great build up, maybe too much since many left but I hope it ultimately left those who beared through the process, satisfied.
Thanks for letting me cook. Hope you liked the meal.
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