The Warriors Path

by Brian Thomas

  Zun nodded slowly. “This is true. However, nothing of real value is purchased at a low cost and those who live will have a better life as a result of the sacrifice of those who do not.” Zun looked directly at the men. “You would not be here if there was an alternative. You are being killed now but in ones and twos without offering resistance. Either way some will die but my way some may win, though the battle will be hard and it will be long. Even then, my way may also fail but at least you would have tried and in trying there is always hope you may succeed.”

  Tofu smiled at Zun and said wryly. “You make it sound so appealing. I cannot see why Jierui did not rush to support your idea.”

  Zun did not return the smile. “I heard what Jierui said. The men who plague you at the moment are dogs.” Zun gestured towards Shushan. “This girl is a better swordsman than most of them.” Shushan flushed but looked pleased at the unexpected praise. “Even so, dogs are dangerous when they form a pack and have tasted victory. Jierui is now bringing wolves amongst you and Shushan is again right, what then? He has made your task harder because he has made your first real opponent stronger and brings him sooner. He has made your task harder because he has reduced the time you have available to prepare for the battle you must face. But face it you must, or you will become sheep dinner for the wolves.”

  “But you will not lead us in this struggle?” Tofu asked disappointedly.

  Zun had no intention of staying for this fight. Whatever it was he eventually decided to do, it wasn’t a lifetime’s fighting to defend a mud village in the middle of nowhere. “Do not make the mistake of believing that one man alone can win this battle. It will take all of you to stand against the enemies that will eventually come against you. I will show you but I will not lead you. You must take on this battle yourselves to win. If you rely upon others to win it for you, you will fail.”

  Tofu was serious as he came to a decision. “I do not know what others will decide but I am tired of seeing bolder men take what is mine and I will fight to keep it. If you will have me, then I will join you and your group.” There were many smiles around the table and the others stated that they too wished to join the fight.” Serious again, Tofu asked of Zun, “What must we do?”

  “Everyone must make a contribution. In addition to the day’s work we must fashion weapons. Those too young or frail to fight must support those who do, producing food or taking on what work they can. Manufacture weapons and armour, buy what you can. Find those who can make bows and arrows, train others so that we can make these things faster as we bring more people into our group. It takes a long time to train swordsmen but it must be done. I will train twenty. We have seven in our group already so we can take another thirteen. These people must be available every day for practise, find others who will help with their work for them. When these men are trained they will train others and the next batch will produce four hundred, but this may take too long, so we must train archers simultaneously. Strong women may be included in this group. They will not achieve the same power or range as a man but a woman archer can bring down a poorly armoured man at a good distance as easily as a man.”

  Zun began ticking off items as he continued. “We need wrist braces for the archers, hardened leather skull caps for the swordsmen, leather breastplates as well if we can. We need arrows, shafts for spears and metal spearheads able to pierce armour. This is just the beginning and it must all be started immediately.”

  The group at the table were silent as they contemplated the task that he had set them and this in addition to the daily need for producing food for them to eat. Tofu spoke up again. “Your plans for us are ambitious and demand a lot from those with meagre resources.”

  Zun nodded. “My plan is merely for some of you to survive and yes, it is an ambitious plan. But this is only the beginning of what must be achieved. This settlement is already fracturing and there will be two groups, ours and everyone else.” Zun’s tone hardened as he continued. “We make no attempt to aid or support anyone from outside of our group, protecting our own will be difficult enough. If they are not with us, then they are on their own and will serve to deflect attention from ourselves while we grow stronger. We must establish a new town.” Zun pointed towards a small hill further up the valley, “The site over there on the rise would be a good spot which could be defended. If you have buildings in the town at the moment they must be dismantled and rebuilt, otherwise they will be lost. We must be together as a community. It will help us bond and be more committed to the common enterprise but it will also make it easier for us to defend each other.”

  Another man spoke up for them. “You ask a lot, perhaps it is too much for us to succeed in it all and we should try for less to begin with.”

  Zun was not gentle in his reply. “Then save yourselves the effort and do not attempt the task. I tell you these things are necessary, not because I wish for them but because they are what you will need to survive. You must succeed in them or die. The problem is a simple one and the answer rests with all of you. Work to survive or do nothing and die.”

  The group seemed a little taken aback by his sharp response but recovered with determined looks amongst themselves. Laulun spoke for them all. “We have decided to succeed and will do as you say, Lord.”

  Zun was annoyed at her use of the title but was hard pressed not to laugh out loud when he caught her hiding a mischievous grin under her bowed head. With a mock frown he left them to the tasks he had set.

  Chapter 26

  During the first meeting at Belaini’s house they had spent many hours discussing what must be done, who would be best to do it and in what order they must achieve the various tasks. Finally, they decided while they could start some of the other tasks the one that had most surprised them was the one they must achieve first. They must establish their own community, separate from the disparate town which had grown without any overriding plan.

  They determined to clear a site for the new settlement and start the first communal buildings immediately. Once these were complete they would add separate dwellings so those living in the town could transfer across as soon as possible. Starting a new community on its own distinct site removed many of the problems which already existed and once they had accepted the idea it became the obvious solution.

  They also agreed it would be safer to keep the element they sought to eject out of a new town, rather than to eject them from where they were already established. Everyone was aware it would irrevocably segregate the town and their own separate community, which would sit within sight of each other.

  Zun had watched from the side lines, determined they take ownership of the plan and come to their own conclusions about what needed to be done. When they told him of progress to date and their intention to start the buildings on the new site as a priority, he nodded his agreement but insisted that they also build a stockade around the site to enclose the buildings. The site he had indicated was at the head of the valley and there were a good deal of trees and rocks which would need clearing. The trees could be used for the stockade but Zun was adamant that as many of the buildings be made from stone as possible, as this would make them less vulnerable to attack.

  He was also anxious the layout of the first buildings be such that they would be able to support each other in the event they were attacked. Wherever possible Zun drew their minds and planning back to a military perspective, underlining its importance to ensure their sustainability, something they all appreciated but were prone to forget in the excitement of planning their new lives.

  The valley was fertile and well provided with water from a tree-lined stream. Working its way down from the mountains the stream made wide curves by the time it reached the old town. All new cleared farmland would be prepared further up the valley, placing their new settlement between their new fields and the old town. A no-man’s area would separate the two towns. In the meantime they could draw on the established farm plots which would later be abandoned.

  Zun insisted
they allocate some of their number to provide a permanent and visible guard. They had discovered four more bows between them and he got two of the guards to carry bows in addition to their swords, ordering them always to stand well back from the work groups. He also insisted everyone from now on always carry something which could be used as a weapon to defend themselves. Initially they were reluctant to adopt this idea but Zun explained that from today they were all in a war for survival and if people were concerned wearing a weapon might invite aggression then they would be motivated to learn how to use it all the more quickly.

  Zun insisted their group was no longer seeking to avoid trouble by remaining unseen but instead declaring they would no longer be victims and must be seen to be gearing up to defend against attack. Their faces were solemn as they had reluctantly agreed, their minds coming to terms with the prospect of carrying weapons which they might be called upon to use.

  By early morning there were five hundred people working to clear the ground at the new site. Teams had been organised to cut and trim the trees, pull the stumps and to clear the rocks. Zun had helped them decide the floor plans for the first buildings and by midmorning they had teams digging out the foundations, while others were trimming the rocks or making mortar. To improve the buildings’ resistance to attack by fire it had been decided to tile them rather than thatch as they would normally have done.

  Teams of women were making roof tiles from the river mud, while those who knew how were building kilns to fire them when they were ready. The trimmed branches from the trees were already finding their way into charcoal pits ready to provide the fuel to heat the kilns, for the tiles and the smelting, which would follow when they had sourced some iron ore.

  Zun had marked out the stockade boundary, larger than their new council had first imagined, and teams had started to dig out the footings. Trimmed poles were being delivered to the stockade perimeter ready to be planted and fixed in place. The hilltop was alive with activity and had an almost party atmosphere as they all worked on the common enterprise. With everyone assigned a specific task and many hands to help the building work progressed rapidly, with visible progress on most aspects of the site by midday.

  The activity had not gone unnoticed by citizens in the old town below them and a number of curious spectators had come to see what was happening. More than one gang from the old town extorting protection money from its citizens looked sullenly at the new settlement, recognising it for what it was.

  Seeing them approach the guards prevented the gangs from coming too close, whilst the working teams were keener than ever to erect the stockade as quickly as possible, a symbolic as well as a physical barrier between them.

  Zun, fearing the gangs might want to destroy the project before it got off the ground took some of the much needed men from work teams to bolster the guards. Armed with bows and swords he placed them in visible locations. After a while the gangs would get bored and drift back down to the old town in search of easier pickings. Zun hoped fervently that they were in a position to defend against any serious attack before a leader rose amongst the gangs capable of bringing them all together. Though none did, the threat helped focus their plans in making New Town, as they had begun calling it, materialise all the more quickly.

  By the end of the first day there was already a strong sense of community between those now committed to the project. Zun set up a guard roster ensuring the site would have a number of guards throughout the night. Everyone was to sleep with something they could use as a weapon near to hand and if the alarm were sounded they were to form a line between the build site and the town below. Zun even had them practise an alarm and assembly so the instructions would be firmly placed in their minds. The exercise proved useful and the people took comfort from their own numbers, far greater than the armed thugs they hoped to leave behind. More importantly, it embedded in people’s minds that they would be defending themselves, using weapons in hand-to-hand fighting with whoever came against them. A sobering thought, encouraging them all to learn the skills with weapons that might save their lives for when they had to use them in anger.

  Having felt the comfort of the community about them very few of New Town’s citizens returned to the old town for the night, preferring to sleep on the ground and under the stars until morning.

  The following day the stockade was completed. Zun made a show of examining the stockade, constructed of logs sunk in the ground for three feet and lashed together with green leather ties, presenting a twenty-five foot barrier. Every ten or twenty paces he tested a pole in the stockade perimeter to ensure it was held fast, before moving on.

  Eventually he was back at the gates where he had started, with everyone waiting for his verdict. Carefully examining the gates, especially their leather hinges and locking bars, he stood with hands on hips considering their work as the people watched on anxiously. Eventually he nodded, saying loudly so that all could hear. “Good. This will be sufficient for the time being.”

  There were smiles and excited nods everywhere. “Now there are more hands for the other tasks. We must start making weapons immediately. The buildings need to be completed and tomorrow we start weapons practise. Time is our enemy now and we have only a small window of opportunity to prepare for what will come. If we all work hard and there is time, we will become proficient with our weapons and self-sufficient as a community. Behind our walls, only a larger force will be able to defeat us. But do not let these walls convince you we are safe. They are good for now, but would not hold back a concerted attack from a determined enemy.”

  The smiles began to fade. “But they will buy us the time to make ourselves become dangerous and for us to build bigger walls. Eventually, no one will want to attack us because the cost of doing so would be too great for the reward.” All but a few of the smiles had gone but there was still a determined look on most people’s faces and they could see for themselves what had been achieved between them. Many exchanged satisfied glances as he added, “But for now, we have all done well.”

  The following morning, those who had been working on the site recovered what possessions they had left in the old town and transferred them to New Town. When they came they brought more citizens who wished to join them. The stockade was visible evidence of what could be achieved in a very short time if they all worked together towards common goals and their success was winning converts. The newcomers were quickly assigned to new work groups, either to extend cultivation, building, weapons manufacture or training depending upon their skills and ability.

  They had continued to make good progress since those early days. Zun was busy advising on the layout of more buildings when Shushan approached, leading a man he did not recognise in his mid-forties. Bowing a greeting to Zun Shushan introduced the newcomer while he watched the surrounding activity with a keen eye. “Zun, this man is called Bulusi. Bulusi is a master bowyer and wishes to join our community.”

  Bulusi bowed to Zun, regarding him with interest.

  Zun returned Bulusi’s scrutiny just as keenly. A trained bowyer was a valued artisan. Only one with their specialist knowledge and experience could make good quality bows that would produce the power he sought. “Skilled artisans are welcome here and we have strong need of your skills Bulusi.”

  Bulusi gave a brief nod in acknowledgement before replying. “I left my home town where I was born because the emperor’s soldiers burnt it to the ground in punishment for a minstrel’s song in our taverns. A song I had not even heard. Under the emperor’s edit all were equally guilty for listening or singing the song, even those of us who had done neither it seems.”

  “I have since been seeking a new location beyond the aggressions of the emperor and the Great Houses. I had changed our direction of travel a number of times to avoid an escalating war between House Guang and Tanyeu when I heard of the town below, reputedly beyond the influence and interest of the Great Houses.” Bulusi concluded cautiously, “I do not believe that I will remain in the town below but
on seeing your new stockade and hearing of your enterprise my curiosity was such that I have come to see your achievements for myself. With respect though, I have made no decision to stay.” Bulusi made the point carefully and bowed in apology at correcting Shushan.

  Zun continued to regard the man keenly as he hid his disappointment. Bows of sufficient quality to use in war needed to be made by a craftsman and anything they made themselves would be of an inferior quality. Yet Bulusi had taken the trouble to walk up the hill to see them. “I am sorry for your troubles. It is something that we all have in common and seek to improve with a better life here.” Zun frowned while making small talk as he wondered how to persuade the man to stay. “Your town was burned because of a minstrel’s song?”

  Despite the nature of his tale Bulusi seemed philosophical about the event. “I only heard the song afterwards, at a campsite beside the road. An old tune with new lyrics about a Temple priest who murders the emperor’s nephew and then kills his life guard in a gallant battle, evading the emperor’s repeated attempts to apprehend him. It is believed the song is written around real events. I have myself seen posters promising great rewards for the apprehension of a mad Temple priest guilty of treachery and mayhem, so perhaps it is true. The emperor, not surprisingly, is angry at the song which mocks him. Hence his violent response to it.” Bulusi gave a wistful smile. “Apparently, the priest aids the common people. It is unfortunate he was not on hand to protect my home and the many thousands who died in our town as a result of the emperor’s anger at the earlier deeds related in the song.”

  Zun looked grim on hearing Bulusi’s story, thinking back to his own pursuit of Li Chin. “Indeed, it is about real events and I too heard this song some time ago. I am not surprised the emperor’s soldiers have reacted against its mocking tone. What does surprise me is the temerity of the minstrels to sing it so openly. Surely they must have anticipated some such reaction.”