"Do you know of a man named Lugal-Kisura, Master Scholar?"
Facing Chancellor Enkidu-Sa, who had just arrived at the front lines escorting a massive caravan of grain and supplies from the capital, Gilgamesh posed this question to his chief strategist and head of logistics.
"Lugal-Kisura?"
Hearing the name, Enkidu-Sa froze. His hand, which had been reaching for a tally-stick, hovered in mid-air. After a long silence, he looked up at Gilgamesh, his eyes wide with a rare flash of alarm.
"Your Highness... you haven't gone and picked a fight with the Wind of the Border, have you?"
Enkidu-Sa's tone was so grave and urgent that he completely forgot the formal deference he usually owed to the Horned Crown.
"In a manner of speaking," Gilgamesh replied, shrugging with a touch of kingly frustration. "To be precise, the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Ur-Namu attacked the fortress he defends. The result was a disaster; our heavy formations were run in circles by his chariots. If Ur-Namu hadn't retreated under a hail of arrows to save the core of the host, we would have lost the entire Northern front."
"..."
"Dammit! How could I have forgotten he was finally reassigned as the Satrap? I should have warned you!" Enkidu-Sa gritted his teeth, his voice thick with self-reproach.
"So, you actually know who this Lugal-Kisura is?" Gilgamesh asked, his interest piqued.
"To be accurate, he and my late mentor were companions of the scroll. It was only because my mentor exhausted his influence to protect him that the Palace didn't execute him during the last purge! To think that today, I, the disciple, would find myself his adversary!" Enkidu-Sa shook his head, his voice full of complex emotions.
"I see. In that case, enlighten me. What makes this man so special?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I happen to have in my possession the Tactical Tablets of Lugal-Kisura, a manuscript he gifted to my mentor years ago. It distills a lifetime of border warfare into theory. Before I left the mountains to join your cause, my mentor gave it to me, saying these tablets would help whoever I chose to serve win the Four Quarters."
As he spoke, Enkidu-Sa pulled a bundle of silk-wrapped clay tablets from his traveling case. With almost pious reverence, he handed the wisdom to Gilgamesh.
"My thanks, Master Enkidu-Sa."
Gilgamesh took the tablets, his rubicund eyes scanning the script. As he read, his expression shifted from curiosity to visible shock. He had never seen military thought analyzed with such systematic precision.
While the ancient Litanies of War dealt with broad maneuvers, Lugal-Kisura's work provided unprecedented detail on chariot unit composition and the psychology of the "kite" maneuver.
"No wonder your mentor held him in such high esteem. The man who wrote this is a genius of the field!" Gilgamesh slammed his hand on the map-table in admiration.
"Indeed. My mentor spoke of him many times, lamenting that the Palace failed to utilize his brilliance. He is the only general to remain undefeated against the nomadic tribes of the wastes. But because he refused to bribe the corrupt eunuchs at the capital, they made his life a misery, obstructing his supply lines and demanding kickbacks."
Enkidu-Sa sighed deeply. "Eventually, he impeached them for their crimes. Instead of justice, the officials accused him of plotting rebellion. He was thrown into the Great Ziggurat's dungeons. Had my mentor not spent every favor he had to save him, he would be a ghost. Now that the world is in chaos, the Palace was forced to reinstate him out of desperation."
"I see. A loyal heart and a brilliant mind, yet this stagnant Empire has no room for him," Gilgamesh mused, a cold, predatory light in his eyes. Lugal-Kisura had clearly earned his admiration. "Master Enkidu-Sa, do you think it is possible to bring him into our light?"
"Your Highness, that is exactly what I had in mind. I hope to resume the bond my mentor shared with him. If you permit it, I will activate my network of shadows to drive a deeper wedge between him and the Palace. Once they cast him out again, Your Highness can step in and provide the honor he deserves."
Gilgamesh nodded slowly, a small smile appearing on his face. "Then I leave this subversion to you, Master. Let us see if the Wind of the Border can be persuaded to blow in our direction."