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170 Reunion

  The fight in Tangun had been going well. The ghost soldiers, dragging their swords on the cobbled streets had left a lasting impression on the public and soldiers alike. People were seen bolting their doors at night, only to pack up and flee to the outer suburbs during the day. The centre of Tangun, once a thriving market place, was now a ghost town. The Blades deployed each of their three packs independently, operating in separate parts of the town. One targeted the wealthy district, setting small fires, walking with flaming branches, swords clattering, moans loud enough the scare the gentry. Another went to the retail district where stores of food, clothing and jewellery were housed in small warehouses. The owners lived above, now so scared they did not open their storefronts. The final pack focused on the dock area, collapsing wharf infrastructure, sinking small vessels and sending boatmen into the water. Poles were mysteriously broken, boats drifting down river, still with ca...
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169 Chasing the aftermath

Second Master surveyed the men as they worked. He knew he wasn't needed. Calling one of his lieutenants he assigned a small contingent of Twin Hammers to remain with the newly formed crew and continued his journey toward Chenxi. He needed to see for himself what was left, what the Mu had destroyed and whether anyone survived. Deep down, he was really looking for his wife, his children, anything that would tell him if they were still alive. He prayed to all the gods. He couldn't face life without them, especially his beloved Yiran. The soldiers marched behind him, banners flying. They too had vested interests; shops, homes, family. They returned as heroes but felt none of the pride.  As they travelled closer, groups of stragglers looked at them with suspicion. They held their children close and turned away from the men shielding them from horrors these men knew nothing about. The people were thin, beaten and homeless. The soldiers looked on, scanning the groups for any clue to t...
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168 First, you dig that hole

  The two men from Reparations jogged towards the circling birds. It was further away than they thought and it took them a good hour to reach a vantage point. The smell had been growing the closer they got and now it was overpowering. They covered their noses and looked ahead. Numerous decomposing bodies were strewn by the lakeside. Maggots crawled all over the ground chasing the goo which was seeping from the corpses. The carrion had ceased to feast on the flesh, now they were after the large, fat maggots, which were crawling to find a place to pupate. Smaller song birds had joined the feast, as the next stage of the food web was reached. They grabbed at maggots and flew off, probably to feed young in the nest. Wild dogs still circled. They nipped at small pieces which were still whole but putrid. Snatching at a piece of arm, they turned and ran, ripping the arm, a shoulder, a head, clean off the body. It was clear there was more than a family here. Young children, less than three...
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167 Moving on

The Reparations Division packed their new belongs. They'd burned their military connections for good, and now, shouldering their bundles, they moved as a new unit, with a different focus. They were never soldiers, they had been forced at the point of a sword to sign up. Mu numbers were low and they needed cannon fodder to face the Chen Army. Well, die with them. The Mu generals had been surprised at how well Chen fought and Commander Zhang wasn't remotely interested in committing his troops to any further bloodshed.  He had called on his old ally to support his effort and they had suggested using the Chen as bait. A satisfactory way to rid the world of their evil, or so they thought.  This was, to all intense and purposes a phoney war. Yes, there had been a large influx through the mountain pass into Zhang territory. Yes, the Mu were closely related to the Zhangs and had, therefore, been called upon to support their in-laws in this matter. It had been at the suggestion of the ...
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166 Time to rejoin the fight

Niao and Hao had half dragged, half carried Yiran. It had been nearly two days without stopping except to pee and grab water. Yiran had cycled between fever and unconsciousness and both were keen to get her to Madam Min and the others as soon as possible. Finding the pyres, and the men tending them, they were pointed in the right direction for the camp. Madam Min had run forward and taken Yiran to the first aid tent where women with some of the old remedies, started treating her. It was a few days before she recovered enough to open her eyes and register where she was. Looking down, she noticed a small hand holding her little finger and chattering softly to no-one in particular. She clutched a ragged doll to her chest. Yiran could only presume she had been chattering for some time, because she got the feeling this was part way through the little girls conversation. "so you see, I haven't got a Ma or a Pa. Do you have a Ma? I'd like a Ma. Some of my friends have one and the...
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165 A dead man doesn't fight back

  Lui Xian sat quietly in his tent. His orderly had delivered some communiques from Tangun and from the forces in Chenxi. He had also just been handed a document from Shipao. Sipping his tea, he took in the logistics of what was happening where. New reparations division heading to Chenxi, the bulk of the forces who had freed Chenxi, heading this way, three packs of Blades already on their way, and now information which surprised him. Commander Zhang, that insufferable, arrogant leader, had finally softened and was in talks with the leaders in Shipao Province. It seems Second Master had laid some plans in place which forced his hand and now he was attempting to save face. Lui Xian smiled. Events were beginning to unravel and soon, men would be able to go home. He thought wistfully of home. A villa deep in the farming lands of Liú, surrounded by gardens of the enclave he controlled. The rice growing on the hillsides and the wines..... His mouth watered and he longed to taste that swe...
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164 Engage

  General Lui Xian sat and waited. They had intercepted many Mu troops as they travelled up from the borderlands, allowing none to return and alert the barracks of their numbers or their position. He waited for the scouts to return from Chenxi. He needed to know whether it would be safe for him to move forward and attack Tangun or to wait it out a little longer.  He had been made aware of Second Master's decisions and the suspected burning of Chenxi; what he needed now was news as to whether there were any troops who could come and help in this final battle. He had only enough to support the transfer of the dead, dying and wounded. It only needed a small number.  He had completed that task.  He had lost some of his troops to the battles which had raged across the marshlands and weeding the enemy out of these enclaves had proved harder and more costly than they had realised. He needed back up badly. General Lui Xian poured himself another green tea and looked over the...
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