Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men

Chapter 16: Intelligence

Smoke billowed out from the tower in thick black clouds, clinging to the rooftop of the palace. It cascaded down the palace walls, cloaking the crimson columns and golden statues in a dense robe of black. Not far behind, the scent of sulfur floated down to the ground. Above, the fireworks still glistened, their bright fingers painting the night sky above– and now the palace below – in a wash of color.

The crackle of explosions continued to echo through the heart of the square, but they were now dwarfed by the cheers of the entire capital. Hoisting himself up to his feet, Shang took stock of the crowd below: lanterns and banners bobbed up and down on top of an ocean of bouncing heads and raised hands. They were alive. The palace was on fire, but they were alive. They had – she – had defeated the Hun invaders, had saved the Emperor, and had survived. And they all of China had seen it.

He caught Mulan's widened eyes, seeing in them the same overwhelming mixture of shock and relief he felt pulsing through his veins. As she looked out upon the mass of people below, Shang felt a prick of unease poke at the back of his mind. Yet again he, all of thee people here – even the Son of Heaven – owed her their lives. Shang opened his mouth to speak, not quite knowing what to say –

"That was a deliberate attempt on my life!" a voice shrieked before the captain could make a sound. From within the darkness a figure emerged, his shrill voice cutting through the soupy rolls of blackness long before his body could. Chi Fu continued to yell as he descended to the platform. "Where is she? Now she's done it!"

Shang stepped forward, placing his body between the rabid consul and the woman, the warrior, the … the… hero … who had saved them all. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the other officers, who had come together to protect their comrade. Together they encircled Mulan from the skinny man's tirade.

"What a mess! Stand aside, that creature's not worth protecting" Chi Fu spat, his words dripping with distain. Shang felt his nails dig into his palms while his sore muscles prepared to throw another punch. He exhaled as much of his frustration as possible before daring to spit. "She's a hero!" Shang bit back.

Chi Fu scoffed, scorn dripping from his shrill voice "She's a woman." Shang gaped. To continue to underestimate her now, after everything– "She'll never be worth anything!"

Shang's resolve to contain his anger broke. He grabbed the skinny, arrogant bilgesack by the collar, making sure that consul could hear every word he was going to say. "Listen, you pompous …"

"That is enough!" The rebuke resounded in Shang's ears like a canon; he turned immediately towards the source of the noise. Clad in flowing golden silk, the Emperor descended from the black clouds above, radiating the exact same calm and strength as he had an hour ago, as if the events of the past hour were no more distressing than a delayed carriage change. The young captain's muscles slackened as he released his hold on the consul's collar. A sickening feeling of shame burned in Shang's belly and his eyes widened in shock.

Unlike the ruler, Shang was unable to fight back his own panic any longer. "Your Majesty, I can explain!" He rushed up to the Emperor. Somewhere in the corner of his mind, he could hear his older sister's gasp of horror at the complete breach of protocol and disrespect: making demands of the emperor – for a lawbreaker – in public – as the palace itself stood smoking. But for that suspended moment in time, Shang was past the point of caring: Son of Heaven be damned he had to understand. He had to.

That moment came to an abrupt with one gesture as the Emperor raised a hand in objection. Shang remembered where he was– and with whom he was talking – and withdrew, eyes lowered again in deference. The other men followed suit, pulling back gently like petals from a bud, leaving Mulan lone, exposed, before the Son of Heaven himself.

The old man remained all but motionless as the crowds around them as he spoke to the young woman. "I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer–" Shang felt the hairs on his neck prick up at attention: the Emperor had read his report. "–dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palace!" Frozen in place, the young man felt his anxiety build as the Emperor gestured broadly at the smoking mass. "And! –" Shang winced, waiting for the final denunciation.

"– You have saved us all." Gone was the harshness and righteous judgement of the Emperor's voice. In its place, a soft smile and a warm gaze toyed at the corners of the gentleman's wizened eyes. His mouth slackened in disbelief, Shang could only look on as the old man dipped his head lower and lower towards his chest. Shang looked towards Ling, whose made up face quite visibly reflected his own confusion.

Before he could fully realize what was happening, a swell of pride rose in Shang's chest and then to his face, which broke out in a gentle grin. He stood first at attention, then bowed, then lowered himself to prostrate on the stone platform of the Grand Staircase. A wave of whispers rustled behind them as the whole nation fell to their knees.

At last, the Emperor broke the reverent silence and rose back up. "Chi Fu!" he called back to the figure behind him.

The men all rose pulled themselves up to their feet as the skinny man managed swooped forward. "Your Excellency?" the man asked.

"See that this woman is made a member of my council." The Emperor continued calmly as his aide's brush began to move.

Chi Fu nodded along as he took the notes for a moment, until the realization dawned upon him. His mouth fell open and eyes poked out as he shook his head furiously. "What?" the counsel cried. Shang had to admit to himself that he was nearly as shocked himself. Picking up his slackened jaw, Chi Fu continued with his objection. " There are no council positions open, your Majesty!"

"Very well," The Son of Heaven shrugged imperceptibly. "You can have his job," The Emperor raised a hand towards the now-gaping Chi Fu.

A few half hearted squeaks left the counsel's lips as he fell to the floor. Shang couldn't help but smile to himself – both out of pride in Mulan, and with the added enjoyment of Chi Fu's distress from the whole situation.

"With all due respect, your Excellency," Mulan responded, "I think I've been away from home long enough."

The Emperor shrugged and nodded as his hands reached for his neck.

"Then take this," he placed the large golden pendant in her hands "so your family will know what you have done for me."

Shang's eyebrows reached up his still-aching forehead. This was unprecedented. The crest of the Emperor was reserved solely for the Royal Family. To even touch it was a punishable offense for all but the closest members and servants in the Royal Household. The young man's eyes flitted towards Chi Fu, maybe the only other person on the platform who could understand how exceptional this was. The man looked sick.

The Emperor, however, was not done. He lifted up the twisted blade at his side. "And this," the Emperor continued, handing the young woman Shan Yu's sword, "so the world will know what you have done for China."

The whole of the Middle Kingdom stood for several seconds, as their hero examined the crooked steel in her hands. Shang reeled back slightly, however as Mulan then lunged at the old man. As she embraced the Emperor, the Son of Heaven recoiled first in shock, but then, smiled.

"Is she allowed to do that?" a hoarse voice muttered behind him. Shang shrugged. Frankly, at this point, she could probably do anything, he couldn't help but think.

After several seconds, Mulan broke the embrace, and turned back towards her comrades. Immediately, her other field officers rushed up to congratulate her. Chien Po's giant hug lifted them all off the ground. Shang started to make his way forward, but an invisible force tugged at his core, freezing his muscles in place. He longed to join in the celebration and relief of the other, yet the young man was held back by the impropriety of the situation – he was still their commanding officer, after all – and something else anchoring everything in him that yearned to reach out.

Still fighting against his paralyzed insides, Shang could only watch as Mulan stepped away from the gang and came closer. The anxiety pulsing through his veins, the captain's mind tied to search for words, but his senses were still failing him.

His mind lagging behind the will of his body, Shang opened his mouth to speak. "Um ... you ... You fight good,"Shang heard himself mutter lamely.

"Oh," Mulan's mouth twitched downward. She glanced toward the ground. "Thank you."

Shang reached out, trying to rectify the situation, to think of something – anything – better, but it was too late. Mulan turned around, speaking now to her warhorse. "Khan," she sighed, mounting the beast, "Let's go home."

With that, the Hero of China flew away, down the center steps of the Imperial Palace, into the night itself.

Shang watched as her figure was swallowed first by the crowd, then by the dark, all the while cursing his core – or his pounding head, he couldn't decide – for his inability to speak. As he continued to follow the ghost of her shadow, the captain's insides began to ache with a strange sense of longing he hand never felt before. Shang winced with the pain.

Out of the lamplight of the palace, the Emperor stepped forward. Shang straightened as the elderly man cleared his throat to speak. "The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all."

"... Sir? …" Shang meekly asked, unfamiliar with the proverb, never mind its deeper meaning.

The Emperor turned towards the young man, his face sincere but serious. "You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty!" The Son of Heaven quipped with a jerk of his hand. Having made his point quite clear, the Emperor set his hat squarely upon his royal head and walked off.

Shang turned back out to the crowd. Like a lamp lit in a darkened room, the Emperor's words had shone light upon what had transgressed in the past three days – and what it had come to mean. The flower that blooms in adversity… He turned his head back towards the sky to watch the blossoming lights fill the sky, and his heart begin to bloom with fire again. Only this time, time instead of the burning weight of fear and frustration, it was the spark of something Shang hadn't felt in weeks: hope.

"You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty." The words echoed in his head hours later as he scanned the heads and hats of the thousands of minor nobility and bureaucrats now swarming in the halls of the Imperial Compound. Somewhere within the masses, Shang found himself hoping to see one blue hat in particular.

Despite their mutual distaste, Shang needed to find Chi Fu if he had any hope of seeing Mulan again in the near future. Shang needed to find her now: before he had to return home, before he had to mourn his father for weeks on end. Unfortunately, the captain wasn't responsible for his troops' conscriptions: the administrators were. Shang craned his neck, looking again for any sign of the scrawny figure.

"Oh Captain, my Captain!" a raspy voice called out beside him. Shang immediately turned to look for the speaker but found his three field officers. Before he could say anything, though, a glass of baiju was thrust into – and onto – his hand. Shang shook off the wet rice liquor.

"To the heroes of China!" Yao bellowed, slapping the much taller man on the back. Shang couldn't help but grin. Before he could raise the glass, Ling chipped in.

"To China!" Ling cried.

"To China!" the men echoed.

"To China" Shang muttered, his eyes returning to their survey of the crowds as they drank the burning liquor.

A comfortable silence settled between the four comrades as the alcohol brightened their insides. In the square below, the whole of China rejoiced: men and women, commoners, merchants and soldiers, and, from the looks of it, a good deal of the nobility. Crowded together in the light of the lanterns, the masses feasted and danced to the beat of drums and bells. As the liquor coursed through his veins, the pride and happiness he felt watching the celebrations rose to the surface, and, just as suddenly, were displaced. In their place, the hard pit of loneliness solidified as each smiling face brought to mind that of a former classmate or comrade whose now-cold body still remained in the Tung Shao pass: Wen Gang, Guo Jing, Hyung Li.

That sense of longing only intensified when Shang's mind rested on the one still-living soldier he wished was by his side: Mulan.

Shang shook his head, still wincing at the memory of their last interaction. "I am such a idiot," he found himself murmuring aloud.

"What was that, sir?" Chien-Po asked.

"Oh - I can't believe its it's such... a royal image, isn't it?" Shang fumbled, snapping out of his thoughts "Very, uh... enchanting... the sky... uhh... all like that..." he said, gesturing vaguely towards the west.

"It's lovely..." Yao sighed wistfully, a soft glimmer lingering in his eyes.

All three men looked down at him, puzzled by Yao's sudden lack of bravado.

"Whaaat? I like lanterns!" Seeing the arched eyebrows in front of him, he shook his head, " See-they look like little floating stars." The others exchanged a confused shrug.

After several unsure seconds, Shang cleared his throat and began to back up. "Well, great job men. Enjoy the celebration." He gave an awkward tip of his empty cup. "I'll, uh, see you after leave, I expect."

"So soon? But the party's just * hic* started!" Ling whined. Shang took another careful step back.

"Sir-" a quiet voice entreated, following after his leader. Shang stopped.

"Yes, Chien Po?"

"She left this…" The large man pushed a shiny metal dome into his superior's hand. "… in the chambers. I thought you might know what to do."

"Umm… Shang felt his cheeks burn as he replied limply, "… thanks…" Taking a breath, he let a smile creep to his lips as his wits returned. Shang gave a slight bow of his head. "Thank you, Chien Po."

"My honor, Captain."

Shang nodded and looked down at the metal dome now in his hands. Staring back at him was his own image, stretched and twisted by the curve of the helmet. Despite himself, the young man winced as he was brought back immediately to the last time he saw his reflection in polished metal. Despite trying to bar the memory of the person he missed most from his thoughts tonight, the captain couldn't help but blink out the hot tears from his eyes. Shang shook his head and ignored the dagger twisting his heart in favor of the other, anxious but warm sensation tumbling around his insides.

Then, a glorious realization dawned upon him. All the men called for service in the campaign came from villages in the same province. Could he be so lucky?… Shang's gaze snapped up. "Chien Po- were you from her village?" Shang asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"No sir. I was the only one from my village to get a conscription notice," the large man trailed off. Shang's heart sunk… "We've got a lot of merchants and monks, but my family is the only resident family listed in the village records."

… The records! His eyes widened and it took every bit of strength in him not to spring forth.

"Thank you." Shang gave the gentle giant a quick pat on the shoulder. "I… I have to run." He waved a hand over towards Ling and Yao, who returned eye contact over the heads of the young bureaucrats' daughters with whom they were now talking. "It's been an honor…" Shang stalled as he turned and ran towards the barracks.

Out of sight of his comrades, Shang burst into a run, his sore muscles both welcoming and groaning with the sudden movement. He dodged in and out between groups of revelers, slowing his pace just enough to avoid apologies or explanations. At the other end of the portico, Shang came to a halt.

Looking over his shoulders, he jiggled the latch to the library until it clicked, the heavy crimson door swinging back under its own weight. The earthy smells of paper, velum and wood enveloped him as Shang stepped in, carefully shutting the door behind him.

"Ancestors," he muttered aloud. His fingers traced over the ends of scroll after scroll, carefully filed into their proper boxes. Ancestors… Shang felt a prickle of guilt rise along his spine. …Father… If anything he should be rushing home, not snooping around piles of parchment.

He turned his eyes towards the records that were not yet categorized, set out in piles on top of a series of tables. Then, in the blue light of the moon, Shang spied a scroll that looked paler than the rest. His hand shaking, he unraveled the document.

Conscription notice for the defense of the Middle Kingdom

A notice to all men within the Shaanxi District

His head felt light with the speed of his heartbeat. His eyes, though, dutifully scanned the long list of names. Wei, Chan, Li, Jin… his eyes darted over the list of characters, when at last they fell upon the one he was looking for: Fa. His eyes darted to the right – Chunhua. Easily a two days' ride.

Even in the darkness of the stacks of scrolls and shelves , Shang's smile outshone the thousands of lanterns illuminating the night on the other side of the library doors.

*** A Day and a Half Later ***

Shang crested the hill and saw the sprawl of buildings clustered together in the valley below. An anxious tickle rose in his belly again. Maybe this was a terrible idea. He should have gone straight home to mourn, right? Though then again, it was a direct order from the Emperor himself, no?

In any event, right or wrong, he was here now, the captain told himself. Reaching the edge of the village, Shang dismounted, aware of the eyes upon him and his quite conspicuous uniform. He cursed himself for not bringing a change of outerwear with him from the barracks.

Shang approached a greens merchant, his cart piled high with plums and berries. "Excuse me, I'm looking for the Fa residence," the young man entreated. Shang's eyebrows raised at the tsk from the two middle-aged women next to him, and felt his shoulders tense as the man behind the cart gave him a slow, questioning look. After another second of consideration, however, the merchant spoke, his voice neutral.

"Take the main road east two li," the grocer pointed to the north. "Take a left at the citrus grove, go another li or so up the hills, and it'll be on your left. Large estate. Can't miss it."

The captain gave a small bow. "Thank you, sir."

Mounting his horse again as he left the town, Shang followed the man's directions. Climbing the second hill, overlooking the river that ran through the town, the young man came across a small villa: : simple, yet comfortable, and reminding him of his own home, in a way. The front gate was open, swaying in the breeze. Shang dismounted and cautiously approached the gates.

"Hello?" he asked.

No answer. He pushed the wooden door open and glanced around the courtyard, his stomach climbing higher in his chest. Across the courtyard, Shang saw two women – one elderly ,one around his mother's age – chatting with one another in the middle of the moon gate. Shaking his head, he clutched the helmet, took a deep breath, and made his way towards the garden door.

The few strides it took him were not enough to calm his nerves, and for a moment the only thing he could hear was his own rushing heartbeat. Sleep deprived and coursing with adrenaline, Shang found himself unable to stop himself from interrupting the two women.

He cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, does Fa Mulan live here?"

Thank you all for your patience and encouragement with me while I wrapped up this chapter! I've been caught in the midst of a LOT of moving and a LOT of travel, but I'm back in one place and thought I'd make it up with a final chapter that's twice as long as usual!

Over the next few weeks I'll be tweaking a few of the chapters into their final forms and piecing together the grand finale- the epilogue!

Thank you again for your patience!