2 RESCUE

“Your highness, our men are not yet back.” Commander Bengt reported to prince Junfeng.

“How is that possible?” Prince Gen asked as he glared at commander Bengt.

“I have no idea about your highness. This is the third day we have been waiting for their arrival, but they are taking ages to show up.” Commander Bengt replied, bowing down his head.

“How far is the distance of Cyprus away from here?”

“Your highness, it's not that far from our kingdom. It can only take a few hours to go and come back.” Commander Bengt replied with fear.

“Few hours?” Prince Junfeng almost yelled at him.

“Yes, your highness. And this is the third day they have been out there.”

Commander Bengt answered.

“And you failed to inform me since then, until now!” Prince Junfeng yelled at commander Bengt.

“Forgive me, your highness.” Commander Bengt pleaded.

“Huh! Forgive?

Is that what you will stand here telling me?”

Prince Junfeng grew angry.

They were silent for a few minutes. Prince Junfeng kept pacing up and down, thinking of what to do.

“Your highness, I think after the Cyprus men received the letter from our men, they also killed them.” Commander Bengt finally broke the silence.

That pumps oxygen in Prince Junfeng's anger.

“Exactly what I was thinking!”

Prince Junfeng responded with a deep voice.

“Gather some of our men, let's go check on them! But don't let my father know about this. I believe you know what he will do to you if he finds out that some of our men are still outside for the past three days.”

Prince Junfeng ordered.

“Yes, your highness.”

Commander Bengt replied and turned back to leave, but he sighted a man running towards them from the gate entrance. His clothes were torn, and he was running like a slave that escape from his master. His body was full of bruises.

“Your highness! Your highness!” the man called out, heavily panting.

“Holy shit! Bao what happened?”

Prince Junfeng asked in shock.

Commander Bengt has already brought out his sword, thinking that someone was after the young man.

“Our…our men are dead!” Bao stammered.

"What! How is that possible?”

Commander Bengt angrily asked.

“We were on our way back after delivering the message to Cyprus, and Luza men attacked us. They killed ten of our men and took the remaining ten, which I was among, to their kingdom. When their king saw us, he ordered his men to slaughter us and give our flesh to the lions the next day. They killed the nine men I was with after receiving the beating of our lives. I was next to be killed, but one of their men betrayed them by releasing me. When they found out, they pursued me but couldn't catch me. I hid in a bush, and they looked for me, but couldn't find me. And I spent the night hiding in the bush until this very day that I was able to find my way out.” Bao was groaning in pain as he narrated to them what happened to him and his men.

“Surely, Luza has stepped on our feet!”

Prince Junfeng was exasperated.

“Your highness, I suggest we attack them by night.” Commander Bengt suggested it to prince Junfeng.

“No!” Prince Junfeng said sharply.

“Assemble everyone to get ready for war. Let every man get ready to waste blood in the Luza kingdom today.

Inform my father about it. Tell him that I said Luza must be set ablaze today!

One man in my kingdom is more important than hundreds of their men.

They requested war, and war shall we give them. Go!” Prince Junfeng commanded.

“Yes, your highness.” Commander Bengt obeyed, bowing down to prince Junfeng and left.

The Gapsin army set out for war against the Luza kingdom.

They took Luzas' men unaware. Though they knew that something like this was coming, but not this fast.

Men, women, and children were running, looking for where to hide.

Gapsin men slaughter Luzas men, women, and children with no mercy.

They destroyed the entire kingdom and set many things on fire. Some Luzas escaped to other kingdoms, and others fled to nearby forests.

Luza buildings were falling like the walls of Jericho in the Holy Bible.

Thousands of men were sent to the grave.

Twenty men of Luza were taken for slavery by Gapsin.

There was a great rumble in the kingdom. Victory was sure for the Gapsin as usual.

The Cyprus kingdom was the closest kingdom to Luza. Some got to Cyprus and reported the battle.

“Your majesty, we have no one to save us from these men. Moreover, we were taken unaware, please help us.” Luza men pleaded with king Guozhi.

“This is not our fight, our law does not demand us to go and fight those that didn't come to fight us.

Very soon they will be here for us. We can't go out there to fight them now. Stay here and you will be safe.” King Guozhi assured them.

Flames, and smoke, were coming from the Luza kingdom. Cyprus men saw the flaming fire that was coming from the Luza and fear gripped some of them.

Some of them were already doubting if they could stand the Gapsin men.

The flaming sparks threatened the neighborhood, the sparkling provided an unwanted light for every man who sighted it. Some began to have restless minds.

Commander Lucifer saw the fear in them and an angel dropped a message on his heart to deliver it to his men, and he turned and faced them.

“Why are you afraid? Are they not men like you?

Don't be afraid, they are not monsters nor are they using black magic to fight. Stand firm. A warrior doesn't fear what is coming ahead of him.

A lion doesn't fear any animal in the jungle because the jungle is his home, he has the power to stop you from entering his kingdom and if you want to show him that you are brave and still enter, that's when you will know why he's called a lion.

Men of Cyprus, don't let fear make you allow your enemies to come into your kingdom and destroy you. No one is entitled to take you out of your kingdom like a rabbit. Let's team up and get ready for them. And I assure you that Victory will be ours.”

Commander Lucifer encouraged them and all of them recovered their fearless minds.

They all hail commander Lucifer.

King Guozhi was full of joy when he saw commander Lucifer encouraging the army. Though he still looks younger than most of the men, he was braver and courageous than any of them, which attracted the king and other men to make him the commander of the army.

“Buddy, come on. Let's celebrate our victory.” King Cheng of the Gapsin kingdom said to his son, prince Junfeng.

“Yeah!” Prince Junfeng replied and raised a cup of wine to the ceiling and made a toast.

“Wow!” Someone exclaimed.

They screamed with excitement as they danced together. All Gapsin men were celebrating and jubilating.

“Buddy, I need to release some white water in a bowl.” Prince Junfeng jokingly said to his father.

“Hahaha! You like women like your father.” King Cheng whined to his son.

Hahaha!

They both laugh.

“Like father like son” commander Bengt who was looking drunk, proffered.

Hahaha!

They laughed once more.

“My father was not a skirt chaser, but I am.” Another joined in the conversation.

“Wow.”

Prince Junfeng exclaimed.

“Father, that reminds me of my future wife, princess Chu Hua. Are you sure King Guozhi will allow me to marry his daughter?” Prince Junfeng asked as he stared at his father.

“Why not? I know him very well. He's a man who doesn't like trouble, and he knows what will befall his people if he doesn't give us what we want. Trust me. King Guozhi will allow you to marry princess Chu Hua. He has no other option than to let it be.” King Cheng assured him.

“Oh yeah, father. I trust you. But what if the princess is not beautiful the way they describe her?” Prince Junfeng asked.

“Although I haven't seen her either, I believe she will be cuter than a rose flower.” King Cheng assured him. Even when he has no idea of how princess Chu Hua is. However the spies say, “her beauty was that of angels. Her beauty is indescribable. A princess with a good heart”.

“I can't wait to see my prince with his gorgeous princess.” One of the men said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah. Nevertheless as for me and my friends,we will keep flirting with the ones we have here." Commander Bengt said with a smiling face.

"I haven't started yet." King Cheng also joined in.

"Ah! Your majesty!"

Commander Bengt screamed out.

Hahaha! They burst into laughter.

"As for me, I am still a virgin." Prince Junfeng whined at them.

"Hey!"

King Cheng raised his hands and placed it on his head with his mouth wide open, as he didn't expect to hear such a thing from the prince.

Another laughter broke in. All of a sudden, everyone became a comedian.

"Please let me go and attend to my mistresis." Prince Gen said and left.

"They are here!" A man shouted.

"Everyone pick up your weapons!" Someone sharply commanded

Hahaha. The two men burst into laughter.