163 Moving out

 Madam Min sat in her make shift room watching the smoke rising into the sky. She knew what this meant; the day had come and they would be able to return. She looked around at all the inventory, 'there's enough to begin. Enough to repair hope.' she sniffed back tears she didn't realise she had been holding. She thought back to the bustle of the main street, the tavern at night and the customers who came every day to eat, drink and socialise. She thought of the men who, after work, would settle outside and play Go, arguing over who would pay for the next round.

It was then she cried. Silent tears streamed down her face and pooled in her cleavage. Deep sobs racked her whole body. 

Two of the little 'ones ran in, " Auntie, auntie, don't cry. Why are you crying? Auntie we have been good. Do you want something, Auntie?"

The littlest one, barley two years old sat on the ground and began to wail. She didn't know why but she wailed anyway. If Auntie was crying then there must be a reason. Scooting forward, she hugged Auntie's leg and wailed louder.

Madam Min attempted to calm the two but the littlest had started and she wasn't about to stop. As much as Madam Min tried to lift her up, she clung even harder to her leg. The older one ran out to get help. 

A private bit of remembrance became a major incident. Min shook her head, children really are great levelers. Standing up, she pulled the little girl off and walked outside with her still clutching at her skirts.

"Call everyone together." She gestured towards to black smoke, "We have decisions to make."

Further along the coastline, three bedraggled people almost fell out of the woodlands and onto the waters edge. They had travelled all night, Yiran had screamed herself into silence and now she clung to Hao with a desperation of family prying for salvation.

"We've made it. I can see up river now and it looks like there are two fires."

Hao looked and nodded, "I'd say the first is a pyre of some size, roughly where I would imagine Madam Min and the others are, the second? It seems further away. Do you think it's Chenxi?"  

"I really don't know but I would imagine if there is a fire of that size then its something big. Maybe the garrison?" she paused and sniffed the air, wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of cooking flesh and shrugged. She'd know that smell anywhere. "Let's keep going. You still alright to drag her along? I can keep going for a few miles and now we are on the flat, maybe we can locate Madam Min and the others. The sooner we drop off Yiran, the better."

"Agreed." With that, Hao hitched Yiran up into his arms once more, and shouldering her bundle, began the lope along the water's edge. They had plenty of daylight. They should arrive at the camp within a few hours.

Those who had chosen to return to Mu Province had been dispatched under the control of a small contingent of Hammers. They had been given two orders; any trouble, any disobedience from any of the prisoners of war, kill without mercy. Second, deliver to the border but do not cross. if they flee back into Chen or Lui land, kill them.

The remaining Hammers and their new division, Reparations, were busy branding and re-clothing the men ready for their new life. The men lined up quietly, waiting for their mark. There was no cry when the brand was placed, only the standard intake of breath through gritted teeth. As each man stood his wound was dusted with healing powder and dispatched to get clothing and food. 

There was a calm settling over the men, a new purpose.

No more fighting just rebuilding what had been destroyed. 

They had witnessed many places still smouldering, dead lying where they fell, wild dogs pulling at their flesh, feasting on the rich banquet that awaited them at every turn. They had watched as dogs fought amongst themselves, pulling the corpse of a child between them. In the end it had ripped apart, dogs fleeing with an arm, the chest and another the legs. 

 The Hammers had looked away. There had been no point in chasing the dogs away, they would only come back. They couldn't stop to bury the dead...too many prisoners..... each had prayed to whatever god they believed in.

Second Master called a meeting. "Gentlemen, we begin our work. One of the priority tasks is to bury the dead, whatever is left of them. If not, then we gift them a burial pyre in the military fashion. We honour the dead ad we allow them peace on their own land. This will be hard for us all, but we cannot leave them to the will of the scavengers."

The men murmured in agreement.

"Let us eat our fill tonight and begin the horrific work tomorrow. I have sent runners ahead to find out what has happened in Chenxi. We head that way. We head towards the outskirts of the town itself. I warn you brothers, the sight we will see, will probably haunt us forever, but if we also rebuild, it will ease those memories in so much as we have done our best for the dead as well as the living." He looked around, "men, we are going to find people who are traumatised. People who will see us as the enemy and try to flee, fight, cower. We have to be ready. We do this as a team. We do this as one mind, one goal and one life. Are you with me men?"

A loud chorus echoed round the camp. Men sloped off in different directions ready to sleep. Tomorrow would bring the start of a new life. Some touched the brand and saw it as a sign of hope, others touched it and flinched at the pain they felt, but all of them knew they had survived this far and in five years, could gain their freedom.