Clash of Alliances

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  ​The team settled in an inn where the balcony overlooked the street, and the citizens who made their way throughout the day. The splintered remains of a flimsy wooden chair were on the floor.

  ​“Either a giant or a fat bloke completely unaware of his own weight sat on this helpless piece of furniture… and the inn keep didn’t even bother to thoroughly clean up the mess!” said Jirgal.

  ​Big Bang gingerly walked over the chair’s remains and settled his heavy bag and gear over it. “Looks like it was about as heavy as that Buff Baby!” he said randomly.

  ​“Look here,” said Wen Xiao. “The roof tiles of the neighboring building below have been cracked and disturbed. Some are out of place. Only human feet could do that.”

  ​“The feet of an acrobatic Shaolin monk who has yet to learn the art of a soft landing,” said Sun Xin. “Seems circumstantial, but this room may very well have been occupied by those two.”

  ​Afterwards, the team made their way deeper into the commercial district where the pavilion sat at the middle of the square. As they dined, Sun Xin overheard the bystanders and nearby diners talking amongst themselves of local news and recent gossip.

  ​“Have you heard? The pipa player who used to play here was found dead. Officials and guards found her headless body inside a pleasure house which burnt to the ground last night! What remained of her dress matches exactly what she wore to the town square. Here’s the interesting part – they found her head in an alley near the site of the fire. It was all shriveled up but it was definitely her!” they said.

  ​Sun Xin turned his head to listen to another group’s conversation. “The body of a beggar was found in the slum area. They say he fell to his death! Witnesses in the slum say they saw three people— one being very large and tall like a giant near the site where they found the body. Not so sure we can trust the word of a bunch of beggars and dishonest street performers! Authorities say it was a murder of some sort. I’m not sure what happened but it’s causing me great fear and worry that we are not safe in the city after all!” Sun Xin heard them say. “Don’t worry, I saw them leaving from the north entrance early this morning. You won’t have to look over your shoulder tonight!” said another from behind.

  ​Sun Xin leaned back into his seat and rubbed his chin. “What on earth are the two of you up to? And there is a third??” he thought to himself. “Hurry up eating. We may have to leave sooner than we had originally planned,” he said to the three of them.

  ​Jirgal and Big Bang stuffed their faces even more, shoving rice, shumai, and other dumplings into their mouths. “Sure beats stale rice and dried salty fish,” commented Jirgal with his mouth full.

  ​Hours before dusk, Sun Xin and his sleep-deprived team prepared the mounts that Captain Lao Lung himself had provided. After securing the saddles and readying the horses, they cantered through the city where the strict evening curfew left the streets clear, save for the sparse and infrequent military patrols. After clearing the checkpoint at the northern entrance, they galloped full speed into the roads and the darkness. There was a long road to Beijing that lay ahead, and in truth, the race was against time more than anything else.

  ​Navigating through the obscure paths and roads that were outlined in the diagram Meiling had found was becoming increasingly easy. Entire highways and trails were blazed through dense forest and unideal terrain, culminating into a large project hundreds of years in the making— right beneath the nose of the entire empire. The series of secret roads, passages, and tunnels were impressive and were enough to rival the Great Wall of the North in sheer scale and intricacy. Mysterious markers and encrypted signs lined the roads here and there, but Meiling, Zuo Shilong, and Buff Baby knew exactly where they were going. They galloped their mounts full speed, passing through tree and bush with blurry speed.

  ​They decelerated into a trot when the road led them to a lightly guarded junction where several large lifts powered by a waterwheel were stationed at the base of a mountainside cliff delivering large cargo, or possibly large companies of soldiers to the plateau. The trio took cover and observed the light security detail.

  ​“Those guards are of Shan Gui, no doubt,” observed Zuo Shilong.

  ​“The Ghosts of the Mountain?? That sleeping order is the one organizing the assault on the capital?” asked Meiling.

  ​“Got that right m’lady,” answered Buff Baby. “We were fighting the lot of them way before we met you.”

  ​“Stay here. I can take care of this,” said Zuo Shilong. He crept through the foliage and used the trees for cover. He took the high ground and neutralized the first guard with a deadly grapple hold. Two others who had noticed their comrade had gone missing, ran over to investigate. Zuo Shilong leaped out and knocked them down unconscious with skillful, lightning-fast blows to the head. The fourth and the fifth were dispatched as well with only a small degree of effort. Mere foot soldier pawns were no match for a highly-trained monk of the Shaolin sect, thought Zuo Shilong.

  ​“Pfff, what a showoff,” said Buff Baby. “I would have finished in half the time.”

  ​“I will take your word for it,” said Meiling.

  ​They rejoined Zuo Shilong and brought the horses onto the wooden gondola lift. Buff Baby grasped the large lever and shifted the gondola into gear and ran back to join them. Sure enough, the waterwheel spun and brought the gondola ascending at a steady pace. Meiling rubbed her horse’s muzzle to calm her when she began to whinny and bray with fright. From the gondola, which continued to ascend hundreds of chi, they could see for many li. A miniscule cluster of lights which could be seen far into the distance marked the city of Handan from whence they had departed. Meiling scanned the horizon to find small dots of illumination where other farms and small villages stood. She turned her gaze south and what she beheld left her in awe.

  ​“Look there yonder,” she said.

  ​Buff Baby and Zuo Shilong, with great hesitation, stood from their seated position, too afraid to look down the great height. They too were in awe of what they beheld. Innumerable torchlights were snaking through the landscape like a giant serpent creeping through grass in search of prey. “Good heavens,” said Zuo Shilong. “They have already begun their march toward the capital.”

  ​“Even if they use the secret highways, they’re still a day and a half ride away from our location. We still have time to reach the city long before they do. We should destroy these gondolas to further impede their progress,” said Meiling.

  ​“Sneaky black-clad buggers,” said Buff Baby. “They’ve the patience and manpower to carve out roads for hundreds of years all so they could lay siege to the capital. Absolutely preposterous, though I have to give credit where it is due. This way the army will not see them coming through this route; neither will they ever expect it.”

  ​After ascending some one thousand chi to the cliff’s plateau, the gondola docked and locked in place and the gears automatically detached themselves from the waterwheel mechanism far below. A light company of guards faced them with weapons already drawn. Without hesitation, Buff Baby charged at them. He sent two falling over the cliff with the other three severely beaten down with singular blows from his own fists.

  ​“Told you, I could do it in half the time,” bragged Buff Baby.

  ​“Pfff, showoff…” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​Meiling rolled her eyes. They walked over to the edge on the other side of the cliff and were presented with another gondola which descended slightly far into the distance to ground level.

  ​“This be too sketchy for me, lads. All this height and all that way on naught more than a wooden gondola and a tremendously long line of rope that looks a wee bit too flimsy to handle this heavy frame,” commented Buff Baby pointing at himself.

  ​“We’ve little choice, brother. This gondola is the only means we have to leave from this cliff. It’s not much more than a controlled fall, but think of the time we can save,” said Meiling.

  ​“Do not worry,
my friend. I will hold your hand,” said Zuo Shilong teasingly.

  ​“Fine. Let me just first sabotage the remaining gondolas,” said Buff Baby. With his massive strength, he pulled, yanked, and dislocated the control levers of the other gondola lifts. Whatever they could do to thwart the enemy’s advance was worth well-worth the time, they thought.

  ​“Okay, now I’m ready to depart… and possibly fall to my death,” said Buff Baby. The three of them, including their horses boarded the spacious platform, ejected the release mechanism, and the gondola dropped from the platform to their absolute fright and shock before making a gradual descent to ground level. The gondola picked up speed as the pulley attached to the line hummed and whirred with the acceleration. It was not long until they surpassed the speed of a horse in full gallop. It felt as it were going on forever but the distance they were covering was great. What would have taken a day’s march was completed in one ride between mountain cliffs.

  ​“Wait, how are we supposed to stop moving!?” shouted Zuo Shilong. They continued their rapid passage and gradual descent for what felt like an entire age, at least for Buff Baby and Jirgal who were terrified of such great heights. Right before the gondola could crash land onto the ground, a large net caught their speedy arrival and brought them to a complete stop before the rope had run out. The pulley was sizzling hot.

  ​“Whooh, ugh, I refuse to ever have to do that again!” exclaimed Zuo Shilong. Buff Baby leaned over the railings trying to fight the urge to vomit.

  ​“Come now, you big babies. We still have ways to ride before the capital can come into view. The enemy may yet still have alternate routes they could take to bypass what we have done to their gondola lifts,” said Meiling, They mounted up raced the rest of the way to Beijing. With over eight hundred li of ground to cover, they left naught more than dust in their wake. They rode until dawn and then until dusk again, rarely moving any slower than a trot or canter, and stopping only to eat and to feed and water the tireless horses.

  ​“Blast these distances. My rear aches!” Buff Baby complained.

  ​“I feel for your horse, to heft such heavy baggage all this way,” Zuo Shilong said.

  ​“We should be approaching Beijing soon. The population becomes denser the closer we get. Look at these people. They’re exposed in their own village,” Meiling said. She looked concernedly at the farmers who went about their early evening as they passed through the main road.

  ​“It seems they have accepted whatever fate awaits them,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​“They don’t take refuge in Beijing?” Buff Baby asked.

  ​“All they have is here. They can’t bear the thought of leaving their homes unattended,” answered Meiling.

  ​The trio soon merged with the main roads, and passed by many refugees also on their way to the city. Carts pulled by oxen and water buffalos were heavy-laden with women, children, and what little belongings the commoners had. Squads and small companies of guards from the army were also scattered along the road, providing security for the travelers. It provided some peace of mind for the people whenever they saw soldiers on guard or patrol, but even they felt intimidated by them, given the soldiers’ intimidating appearance in their armors and uniforms. Harsher times in the past had also made soldiers synonymous with bullies.

  ​“This truly is a national crisis. All these people are unlike some other places where they decided to stay put. What a dilemma,” observed Zuo Shilong.

  ​“More and more villages and farming communities across the empire are getting harassed and attacked by rogues and bandits, monk,” Meiling answered. “I’ve seen it on my way to Handan and within Handan itself. The attacks are increasing. Wulin, the Underworld, is more expansive than we realize. At this point, I’m quite certain that creating confusion, panic, and chaos is their aim. It’s setting the stage for whatever is coming for the empire. Even common thugs and criminals who don’t know any better are starting to get in on it.”

  ​“Aye, right about that, m’lady,” Buff Baby said, being reminded again of the loss of his merry band of men. “Not even my crew was spared. In truth, it was in fact, our rivals who finished us off. They got their hands of the foreign elixirs from the black market. Took us out after that. I may be the only survivor.”

  ​“You have never mentioned your rivals before, Bao,” said Buff Baby.

  ​“Think of it as an opportunity to start over. You were given another chance at life. Perhaps the band life is not so ideal,” Meiling said.

  ​“It’s the only life for a misfit such as myself,” said Buff Baby.

  ​The trio made their way past the traffic buildup on the main roads and hastened their pace toward Beijing. People were beginning to rest for the night, setting up camps along the road or near the surrounding tree lines.

  ​It was at the dead of night when they had finally arrived at capital city’s outskirts, passing through multiple military checkpoints, blockades, and security stops just to enter the rural areas outside Beijing. Zuo Shilong’s badge and a handwritten order from Captain Lao Lung granted them easy passage with no trouble.

  ​It was not much longer until the company of three finally had the city within sight. Even from a distance, the silhouette of the rooftops and the faint glow emanating from its numerous lights still bore testament to the capital’s grandeur and sheer size as one of the largest in the world. Over six hundred thousand of the city’s inhabitants, with thousands more flocking from neighboring towns and provinces, waited anxiously behind its fortress walls.

  ​As they neared the city, they laid their eyes upon the increased military presence. Army encampments bathed the adjacent landscape with white tents and swarms of troops who surrounded enclaves where refugees stationed with their wagons. The suburban settlements around the city were also utilized by the army. Many accommodated their homes and businesses in aiding the logistics, shelter, and storage for both troops and common folk alike.

  ​“You’d think with the added security that we’d be ready for anything,” Buff Baby said.

  ​“We’re going to need all of it. The more, the better,” said Meiling.

  ​The three were exhausted, hardly able to lift their heads, by the time they approached the main gates. The horses were foaming at the mouth from sheer exhaustion. The city had ceased to receive more provincials, and the path to the entrance was lined with soldiers and even more security checkpoints. Additional passes they had received from their journey to the capital sufficed to allow them to proceed without much fret.

  ​Before they could enter through the city’s main gates, Buff Baby’s horse collapsed from beneath him and he was nearly thrown off the saddle. The other two were on the verge of collapsing as well.

  ​“We’ve no choice but to navigate the rest of the city on foot. We must return the horses. They’re the property of the Ming army after all,” said Meiling. After surrendering their mounts to the nearby army encampment, they continued through the main city outer district gates on foot. With Zuo Shilong and Buff Baby leading Meiling, they sprinted through the street, bypassing the Temple of Heaven complex and army patrols through the main avenue. A squad of soldiers had been assigned to accompany them all the way to the next district as they cut through the center Beijing, helping to ensure that no further detainments of the trio were necessary. The evening curfew had already been enforced. The city’s inhabitants remained at home; many peeked out of their windows or sat at their second story balconies as they observed the company sprinting through the streets.

  ​A small neighborhood full of old, abandoned homes or unclaimed manors served to house many of the provincials seeking refuge from the increasing threats of the Underworld throughout the provinces. Many of them huddled together, packed into the small housing units. Others, Zuo Shilong observed, simply camped out in the streets under the watchful eye of the night patrol. The capital city was usually festive at night, lanterns had always illuminated the streets with an array of colors, and t
he smells were usually of many savory snacks and culinary delights. It was different now. The only atmosphere that could be felt in the city was the looming threat of war and death.

  ​The massive city seemed to go on forever, and the moon had long passed the peak of its arc over the night sky by the time they had reached the entrance to the Imperial District where the Martial Scholars, Academicians, and all the ministers and officials of the palace resided.

  ​When they had finally approached the entrance to the Imperial City district, a team of Martial Academicians accompanied by a company of Ming soldiers stopped them in their tracks. None of the guards had recognized Zuo Shilong or Buff Baby, and were furthermore suspicious of Meiling’s presence.

  ​“Grant us passage!” said Zuo Shilong, trying to catch his breath from the prolonged sprint through the city. “We are from the team that departed on the imperial operation weeks ago and have vital information regarding the war. We must speak with the Martial Scholars. Where is Headmaster Guanying?” he said as he showed the Academicians the badge.

  ​The commanding Academician was rather suspicious of the trio, and he eyed them accordingly. He examined the badge, looked at them, and then examined the badge again. “You had mentioned an imperial operation? I don’t recognize you in the slightest and I have not been notified of a Shaolin monk’s involvement with the order. Wait here while I verify your identities and claims with my superiors.”

  ​“You don’t understand, mate. The enemy is on the move and will be upon us on the morrow! Perhaps even sooner!” exclaimed Buff Baby.

  ​“I don’t remember addressing you, rogue. You shall wait here,” he said as he glared at Buff Baby.