Chapter 107: The Third Principle Of Sentient Life

''The New Year's Fire Rout was a pivotal military battle between the Pecheneg-led conqueror coalition and the Song Dynasty. While Song casualties were heavy—estimates range between 45,000 and 70,000 dead between the initial attack and the aftermath—they also dealt the Pecheneg coalition their first significant defeat after a string of unresisted conquests. Proportionately speaking the Pecheneg losses were heavier than that of the Song, and the complete rout of the Pecheneg forces and the subsequent political developments began a short-lived period of political infighting and consolidation among the coalition, buying the Song and their neighbors time to prepare a response…''

—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.

Trivia

 * The chapter title is a reference to Babylon 5.

Foreshadowing
Put spoilers here

Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph mentions that the Pechenegs losses were heavy and as a result, there were significant political developments. The chapter shows that Kagan Berk was fatally injured and mentions that his heir Kurya is lost, which prompts Berk to declare Drago his heir before succumbing to his wounds.
 * The epigraph mentions the Song Dynasty and their neighbours preparing a response to the Pechenegs threat. The chapter shows that Emperor Zhào Zhēn's first response is to appoint Mulan one of his councillors for her role in defeating the Pechenegs during their attack.

Other

 * The Third Principle of Sentient Life is the capacity for self-sacrifice which is defined as the conscious ability to override evolution and self-preservation for a cause, a friend, or a loved one. This self-sacrifice is shown in Fearless, who sacrifices herself to kill the Screaming Death to save her brother, friends, and the better world her brother told her about.

Links to the Chapter
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