The Warriors Path

by Brian Thomas

  Guang’s mind was working furiously but he raised his eyebrow in query to his lieutenant at the factor’s assertions. The lieutenant’s shoulders dropped a little. “Perhaps he was not fully initiated into their doctrine or there is some other explanation. I do not know the Temple lore but it is my instinct this man was very special and these other observations fit well if he were indeed a Temple priest.”

  Pulling back his shoulders Lieutenant Rong concluded. “He reminded us of our House’s honour, how that honour was the result of the actions by many individuals and how something so hard won can so easily be lost. If we had not accepted the result of the contest but used our greater strength to force the issue, we stood to lose more than we gained. But by accepting the outcome with grace, despite our larger force and thereby our ability to override the outcome, it would add to our honour despite the loss of face in losing the contest.”

  Guang stared expressionlessly at his lieutenant for silent minutes while he considered all that had been said, here and at other less public forums. Eventually, with icy formality he turned to the factor. “And what do you say?”

  The factor shuffled forward again. “We have lost a monopoly and much face in front of the world, Master Guang. The lost income will be great over many generations and worth far more than the small portion of the Snake Battalion that was at risk from a battle.”

  Guang showed nothing before turning to Lieutenant Rong. “And what do you think Lieutenant Rong, of the lost income to our House against the loss of you and your men?”

  So, it was to come down to money then, thought Rong. He stiffened his shoulders and spoke with pride as he replied. “We live to serve and protect the honour of our Great House, so I had not even considered the cost in specie. If we had won the battle, news of it would spread wide. Not that we had won but that we had barely managed to hold our own against an inferior force, which had already won by virtue of the trial by combat. We would appear weak, desperate and devoid of honour. Alternatively, the loss in face to this Great House had we not stood by the contest’s outcome and then been defeated in such a dishonourable act is beyond contemplation, Master.” He thought to add the honorific just in time to prevent his statement sounding like a lecture. “Conceding with grace, being magnanimous in the face of our loss demonstrated our power with an indifference to material loss when confronted with the superior honour of one’s enemies…”

  Rong tailed off. If they could not see it, he could not explain it. “I believe this would bring us wealth, not immediately quantifiable in gold or silver but nevertheless valuable beyond measure over time, in this life and for future generations. Let House Guang benefit in equal measure, not from our public crushing of a flea, but in our acknowledgement of the praiseworthy victory of this underdog over a giant, House Zanwen’s victory over House Guang.”

  Guang held his lieutenant’s eye while the filled audience hall remained deathly silent, waiting for Guang’s reaction. Eventually, his features cold and immobile, Guang turned to his personal guard. “I wish to see an end to this miserable dog. Finish his life now.”

  The guard strode purposefully across to the kneeling men to stand behind the factor, placing a brawny forearm across his throat he used his other arm to twist the stunned factor’s head, snapping his neck before the factor fully appreciated it was he, rather than Lieutenant Rong, to be executed.

  The guard dropped the lifeless body to the floor before returning to stand to the side and just behind his charge. Guang looked across the audience chamber filled with his senior advisors, counsellors and generals. “Let no one put a price on the value of our House’s honour. It is irreplaceable. We are its custodians, nurturing and protecting it so it can be passed on to our descendants, just as it was handed to us by our own ancestors!” There was genuine anger in his voice and they all dropped to the floor in the face of his outrage at the near sacrilege of their House’s most sacred possession.

  Turning to Lieutenant Rong he calmed. “Your observation and perception is keen, whilst your courage and honour have been proven today. Your interpretation was most entertaining and subtle beyond the abilities of a mere lieutenant. You are the new captain of the Snake Battalion.” As the newly promoted Captain Rong bowed, Guang enquired. “Pray tell Captain, at what level did you graduate from the academy?”

  Captain Rong raised one eyebrow slightly. “First in studies and seventeenth in sword, Master.”

  Guang raised an eyebrow. “And what has happened to the sixteen swords which passed ahead of you?”

  “They are all dead, killed in combat or duels Master.”

  Guang gave an appreciative smile. “I assume it is your wits that have ensured your survival beyond those with a keener blade. Let us hope those wits also work to our advantage Captain. Our enhanced honour is costing us dearly in specie and I would appreciate you give it suitable consideration when making future decisions regarding this House.”

  Guang turned to the audience hall encompassing all in his address. “As the Captain has said, let all know we honour the outcome of the trial by combat. Not reluctantly like skulking curs, but do so with gusto and with pride in the great House we are. Let our factors seek to make agreements with House Zanwen. Let the world see our word is steel, that we salute those with courage and honour. That this House values such above material gain. Demonstrate our strength by showing we care nothing for a gnat’s bite. Now go, all of you!”

  The hall emptied as Guang called over a scribe and Tangnade, his senior advisor. “We must send a message to Master Tanyeu. Our new captain has unearthed valuable information regarding the emperor and his machinations with the trade licences. The emperor is indeed issuing new licences and involves the Temple in his schemes. As we suspected, the Temple and the emperor grow closer but more so than we thought. We must be careful in how we respond to this new information, especially as they have gone to great lengths to keep the Temple’s involvement secret.”

  Guang frowned in thought. “Whether the emperor seeks to undermine the Great Houses or whether this trade is a sop to the Temple is too soon to say. As we so demonstrably lost the challenge we are unable to stop them but we should not make the obvious counter. Let us instead prosper from their scheme as our new captain has suggested. Our House cannot hope to prevent the emperor from taking this course on our own and in the meantime it will do us no harm to forge stronger relationships with this new trader operating surreptitiously for the emperor. The Captain’s information and his analysis are most opportune, Tangnade.”

  Chapter 25

  Obviously a position of honour left especially for him Zun ignored the space at the table’s head, squeezing instead into a narrow space beside Shushan. Zun smiled mischievously at Laulun who still stood and gestured that she take the vacant place at the head of the table. Shushan gave him a slightly exasperated look, while her mother self-consciously took the seat and they all began eating. The villagers treating him as their leader had become something of a game to Zun where he ignored all such references, instead immersing himself as one of them rather than one who ruled over them.

  Zun looked around the table at the other diners. Belaini, Laulun’s sister, had invited a number of new faces he did not recognise to eat with them this evening but on seeing Shushan’s younger brother, Astay, he gave a broad wink to help the youth over his self-consciousness at the formal gathering.

  After they had eaten the younger members quickly departed leaving their elders to talk. Jierui, the senior councillor from the town, smoked a pipe. His elaborate preparations in filling the bowel with tobacco and using a taper to light it ensured he was the focus of attention. Thick tendrils of pungent smoke hung in the air over the table by the time he was satisfied it was appropriately alight. Tucking the pipe stem in a corner of his mouth he spoke around it to the remaining diners while they sipped at their tea. “More bad men arrive each day in the town. They form new gangs, demanding money and food from newcomers who have no choice but to pay. Those who pay wit
h coin find themselves receiving more visits from the same men or their friends. Either way, the rates the residents pay for protection rise almost weekly and newcomers are stripped of their savings on arrival. As their numbers grow they become bolder.” There was general murmuring around the table in agreement it was a bad thing but that nothing could be done.

  Zun kept his own counsel, enjoying the fact Shushan was allowed to sit at the table with them. He sat closer to her than was strictly necessary now the youngsters had left and freed up more space, enjoying her proximity. Shushan’s inclusion at the meetings was the only thing likely to ensure he endured the usually dull after dinner conversations of the town elders. He almost smiled when he thought back to the first such meeting. Shushan had stood to leave with the other young members of the group and he had stood to follow her out, preferring their company to that of the town sages. The look of consternation on the faces of the old men had only been quelled when Laulun had casually asked Shushan if she would like to be part of the discussions. Flattered, she had sat back down. Zun had sat with her at which there had been a visible release of tension from the others at the table.

  Jierui gestured with his pipe to Zun. “Do you agree that nothing can be done?”

  Zun looked back at him. As usual the conversation circled the same topics, where they agreed how bad things were, how there was nothing they could do and then waited for Zun to leap in to solve their problems for them. Well, he wasn’t going to satisfy them but this time Jierui’s complacency and attempts to offload the problem on to Zun irritated him. “Something can always be done and generally people know this without having to ask the question. A more appropriate question is whether the people concerned are willing to do what is necessary.”

  Jierui nodded sagely while Zun spoke, before frowning. “I am not sure that I know what must be done. Perhaps the answer is obvious to a man of war, such as you, but to a tradesman such as me, it is not so clear.”

  Zun turned to Shushan. “What should be done about the men who rob the newcomers?”

  “They should be driven from our town! They are parasites which will bleed us dry.” Her response was quick, her cheeks flushing slightly at the unexpected attention from the others around the table as she replied heatedly before thinking of who listened.

  Zun was just as quick to ask the questions he knew would be directed at him if he had given such a response. “But they have weapons and will fight, how could we make them leave?”

  “We have weapons, we could take theirs, make more if we need to!”

  “They are many and fierce, whereas those of us who know how to fight are few in number.” Zun retorted. He raised his own voice to match Shushan’s excited reply, goading her to respond instinctively, whereas time to think might moderate her answers in respect of the others now listening.

  Shushan lost her nervousness in her own anger as Zun raised his voice to her. “We outnumber them! We will teach ourselves how to fight!” Shushan stood facing him, flushed with the heat of her passion.

  “Bah! They are experienced fighters, you are just peasants. You cannot hope to overcome soldiers.” he sneered.

  Shushan was getting angry at him now. “We are peasants, not stupid! We can learn to kill a man if that is what is needed.”

  “You have a warrior’s heart, it is easy for you to be brave in a battle but the rest are just peasants and perhaps they will not have sufficient courage to face someone in a fight to the death, when it actually comes to it.”

  Shushan banged both hands on the table, genuinely angry he could say such a thing after what they had been through on the journey to this place. “We have as much courage as any soldier and this scum are failed soldiers, if they were ever soldiers! I would fight them with the others from my village and be proud to stand with them, knowing they would rather die fighting than leave their friends to face the fight alone!” Shushan glared down at him, her eyes blazing and cheeks flushed with indignant anger. Appreciatively Zun thought again of what a truly remarkable woman she had become.

  Laulun, embarrassed at her daughter’s outburst chastised her hastily. “Shushan! You forget yourself! Show some respect.”

  Remembering the others at the table, Shushan glanced around at the assorted expressions of shock to open amusement on the faces of the men around the table. Suddenly confused, she sat down looking at the table top. Zun placed a hand lightly over her arm. “It seems we do “know” between us what is required after all. It also seems you already have a core of like-minded souls, who are willing to work together in defending your fledgling community. So, we return to the more appropriate question. Of whether the rest of you are willing to do what is necessary. Be certain, no one else will be willing to do it for you.”

  Jierui was thoughtful as he regarded Zun, unable to hide his irritation. “You could do this for us if you wanted to, as you did on the day you arrived. There have been no reprisals against you or this group, yet they still force their will on the rest of us extorting money or food when no money is to be had.”

  Zun’s demeanour grew cool towards Jierui. “I noticed when I faced those men on our first day that Mengpo covered them with a bow, that the other men of our group were arming themselves with their knives to support me if the rest of them decided to press their attack. I am sure those attempting their extortion saw the same things that I did and moved to easier prey. They do not attack us now because we do not make it easy for them. They have seen we are willing to fight to protect ourselves and that we are willing to support each other. If you do not wish them to prey upon you, then you must also make it difficult for them. Do not accept so readily that you are victims in this, they will prey on those who let them do so.”

  Jierui was dismissive of Zun’s explanation. “When you have spent a life time practising war and killing, courage comes easy because you know what you are capable of and that you can beat the others who come against you. This is merely a way for you to avoid saying outright that you will not help us!”

  Zun had heard enough and rose to leave. “Why is it cowardly men assume brave men know no fear and believe it is always easier for brave men to be brave? I will assist you to help yourselves but I cannot do this for you.”

  Zun looked at each of them sternly. “This problem will not go away. It will keep returning and each time it will be a bigger problem than the time before. You must learn to defend yourselves against all attacks. Otherwise you will be killed by one enemy or another. Until you accept this, you have no future.” Zun left them and walked out into the night air no longer happy to sit amongst them, convinced they would talk a great deal but again decide nothing could be done.

  Jierui was angry and wasted no time once Zun had left the room. “This is the man you would have lead us? He insults us in the knowledge that we cannot answer back because we do not have his martial skills! His way to help is merely to say, go help yourselves, in the knowledge that we cannot.” One or two of the men who had come with Jierui nodded in agreement mumbling their assent, though not too loudly in case Zun heard and returned.

  Laulun was deferential but unswayed as she replied. “We have come to see what he says is right. He taught us that we can fight back. That we might not win but if we do not try then we will surely lose. We have fought with him and beaten soldiers. It can be done and we must do it.”

  Jierui was angry, irked that a woman was even at the meeting and, worse, spoke to the men on equal terms. “You are foolish to think so and would get everyone killed as a consequence. We do have an alternative, despite what he says. We have funds between us and would have more still if we were not being drained by these gangs which infest us. We should offer these funds to mercenaries, men who are properly trained for such a task. They will soon send these gangs on their way and not one of us would be killed as a result.” Jierui sat back smugly, glaring at Laulun and daring her to argue further.

  Shushan said quietly. “More men with weapons from outside. Who will move these men on, once t
hey have become bored and taken all of your money?”

  Jierui stood angrily. “I bring a solution for you to share and I am mocked for it by women! This was a fool’s errand and I will sit amongst fools no longer.” Half of the men he had brought with him also rose to leave but they hesitated in surprise when the rest remained seated. “Bah, stay with the fools then and see where a fool’s errand leads you!” Jierui stormed out of the house, his reduced collection of followers trailing behind.

  One of the men who had remained looked thoughtfully at Jierui and his followers as they left. “Jierui is not entirely wrong. I do not believe that I am a coward but neither do I know if I am brave enough to face soldiers in battle. Would it be brave or just stupid for me to fight, especially if I face a soldier who has a lifetime’s fighting experience behind him?

  They all looked up as Zun spoke from the open doorway. “These are the same questions every man asks before he goes into battle Tofu. Without training it would be bordering on stupid, unless there was no other choice. With the right training, however, you will have a better chance than the bandits you face who only fight for the spoils of the conquest. They are not willing to die for coin and will leave the battle if it seems too costly for the reward. You, on the other hand, will be committed because you will be fighting beside neighbours and friends, who are protecting their homes, your loved ones and your freedom. This gives you a huge advantage when all else is equal.”

  Tofu seemed relieved that his doubts had not been mocked, especially by Zun. “If I survive the battle, even when all else is equal, many on both sides will die. Including those friends and neighbours we seek to protect.”