The Scarecrow
Ma Su.
At first I had taken him for a savior come to find us. Once things went sideways, though, they simply refused to come untangled…
His story ran like this. He had set out ahead of us to scout southern Jingzhou, only to be ambushed by a Wu detachment and forced into a bare escape.
"I got separated from Gou Fu along the way. We'd been moving together ever since we arrived in Jingzhou, so I'm worried about him. I only hope he's safe…"
Ah, Gou Fu. He was a man destined for greater service to the realm; I fretted over him no less than Ma Su did.
With Ma Su and the handful of soldiers who had stayed with him, our party now numbered a little over twenty.
"We're at the midpoint between Lingling and Guiyang. Gong'an has fallen and the enemy is blocking the roads, so striking straight north from here would be suicide. A slight detour will be safer. From this point we should head this way."
Ma Su, who had first left me with nothing but a hollow sense of disappointment, had become indispensable in our present plight.
He was our guide.
Our mountain-climbing king had left no ridge or valley in Jingzhou unexplored; the local geography was second nature to him. Back in the Gong'an days I had climbed with him often enough to know just how thoroughly he knew the land. Here, I had no choice but to trust those climbing skills of his.
"We'll rest here for the night."
Our party decided to spend the night in what looked like an abandoned farmstead or stockyard. The building was dilapidated, yet large enough to hold every one of us. I found myself missing the quarters prepared for me in Jiangling, but under the circumstances a roof over our heads felt like a blessing.
It was a two-story structure with an interior ladder leading up; from the second floor another ladder reached the roof. For a single night's stay it would do well enough.
"Everyone form up. First we take a head count."
Once we were all inside I ordered a count to make certain no one had been left behind. We dared not light a fire, so only the pale gleam of eyes occasionally flashed among the dark silhouettes of the men.
"…twenty-three, twenty-four… wait? Twenty-five? There's one too many. Why twenty-five?"
"What? That can't be right. You must have miscounted. Let me try."
When Zheng Sui hesitated over the tally, Yu Eun stepped forward and began again.
"…twenty-four, twenty-five…? That—that can't be…"
Yu Eun, too, came up with twenty-five and looked thoroughly rattled.
"Hm? Are you sure it's twenty-five?"
Yu Eun and Ma Su stood on either side of me; the soldiers ought to have numbered twenty-four. Fourteen had escaped with me, Zheng Sui included, and ten more had joined later with Ma Su.
One extra? That meant…!
"Everyone stay exactly where you are! Don't move a muscle!"
"…!"
They sank into place and held their breath.
"Starting now, one by one, name and unit—!"
"General… about that…"
Zheng Sui cut me off in a tight, strained voice.
"Who… is that over there…?"
He pointed toward one corner of the building, his tone trembling as if he had just seen a ghost in a horror play. Sure enough, a lone silhouette stood motionless in the shadows.
"…!"
Every man drew a sharp breath.
"Stay still, all of you. Not a sound, not a movement."
I ordered the tense soldiers to freeze and approached the figure myself.
"Who are you? Name, unit, and rank."
"…"
The black shape gave no answer.
"I ask again. Wait—something's off…"
Sensing the strangeness, I prodded the silhouette with the tip of my spear.
It toppled to the floor with a soft thud.
"It was a scarecrow! Why is there a scarecrow in here?!"
"Zheng Sui, you idiot! Talking like that got everyone wound up for nothing!"
"I really thought it was a person…"
"Ugh. All that panic for nothing."
One soldier vented his frustration by punching the scarecrow's face; the stuffed head gave a hollow thump. The presence in the corner had been nothing more than a scarecrow. The men who had been strung tight over a single dummy now laughed in sheepish relief.
"All right, enough noise. We're all exhausted—that's why something this silly startled us. We rest here tonight. Anyone wounded, apply this herb."
I calmed them, ordered the night's rest, and handed out herbs effective against open wounds so the injured could tend themselves. Still chuckling over the sudden farce, the soldiers settled down to sleep.
Yu Eun assigned the watch and made a full circuit of the building. Once I was certain everyone was down, I stepped outside and dropped onto the grass. Stars hung so thick overhead they looked ready to spill; the insects chirped without pause.
A floorboard creaked.
"General, what are you doing out here? You should go inside and rest."
"Just thinking."
Yu Eun settled beside me with a soft thud.
"Don't blame yourself too much. Every man in there stayed of his own free will. Not one of them holds it against you."
"Mm. Did I look like I was blaming myself?"
"I've been your deputy for years now. I can read your thoughts at a glance."
I gave a small, awkward smile.
"Hard, isn't it?"
"It would be a lie to say it isn't. Still, I don't regret following you."
"It reminds me of the old saying—the benevolence of sucking the boil. A general who cherishes his men. Looking at your unit now, the phrase fits perfectly. The soldiers follow you willingly."
Ma Su's voice drifted down from above, though the man himself remained invisible.
"Ma Su? Where are you?"
"On the roof. I wanted to check whether any pursuit parties were about."
True to form, he preferred high places.
"Ha. You could leave that to the sentries. How is it up there?"
"The air is cool. Pleasant enough."
"Don't overdo it. You can come down whenever you like—the watch can handle it."
"I will in a little while."
I had not trusted him much at first; now he felt reassuringly solid.
"Jiangling will hold, won't it? With Gong'an fallen, Wuling must be in danger as well."
Wuling was currently held by Fan Zhou and Xi Jin; the thought still gnawed at me.
"They'll hold. My elder brother Ma Liang will be devising measures even now."
"Even if the Wu dogs run wild, once the General returns she'll finish them off."
The three of us talked on in low voices.
"Come to think of it, General Jin, you must have seen a great many places."
"My father was from Yuzhou, so the earliest memories I have are from the Xinye days. From Xinye we circled all the way here. Still, I doubt anyone has wandered the continent as thoroughly as His Majesty Liu Bei."
"There's a phrase for it—roaming all under heaven. It suits our King of Hanzhong perfectly, wouldn't you say?"
Liu Bei truly had traversed nearly the whole of the Chinese landmass. Born in the far northeast of Youzhou, he now stood in Yizhou at the opposite corner of the realm. How many nights like this must he have endured?
"General, have you ever seen the sea?"
Had I, or hadn't I? In my previous life I had visited it several times; in this one, never. I answered by the standards of the present.
"I've never been either. What about you, Ma Su?"
"I've glimpsed it from afar, but never drawn close. Perhaps one day the chance will come."
A sudden rumble from someone's stomach set all three of us laughing. Hungry, unwashed, and thoroughly bedraggled, we still found the company enough to keep despair at bay.
"Talk of the sea makes me crave seafood."
"I want chi—wait, chicken dishes."
"Chicken… that sounds wonderful right now."
"I keep thinking of the wine my elder brother keeps at home. There's a master brewer in our neighborhood who makes the most extraordinary stuff. And someone in his household cooks like a dream. Once this war is over, we should all go together."
The conversation had wandered into pure nonsense, yet no one minded.
"When we get back we'll visit my brother's house and—wait, what's this…"
From above came the sound of Ma Su springing to his feet; we tensed in the same instant.
"What is it, Ma Su?"
"A pursuit party? The undergrowth is thick, so I can't see clearly, but there are several moving shadows among the trees."
"Damn it. Yu Eun, inside—quietly wake the men."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll stay up here and keep watch."
Yu Eun and I slipped back into the building and barred the door. Ma Su, from the sound of it, had flattened himself on the far side of the roof and continued to scan the darkness.
The soldiers rose in silence and fumbled for armor and weapons.
"Not a sound from anyone."
Ma Su's whisper drifted down through the opening in the roof.
"Wu troops, I believe. Roughly several dozen to a hundred."
"Relentless bastards. To track us this far…"
"They've spotted the place. A few are coming this way. The rest seem to be spreading out to search."
Please just keep walking. Just go.
My silent plea went unanswered. The clink of armor and the tramp of boots drew steadily nearer. Of course they would; any building standing alone in the wilderness was worth a look.
A black silhouette fell across the crack of the door; the footsteps halted. Unfamiliar voices carried through the wood.
"What's this building? Anyone inside?"
"We'll find out when we look."
I whispered,
"Ma Su—can we slip out the back?"
He poked only his head through the roof hole and murmured,
"I don't think so. The enemy is scattered all around. If this many people try to break out at once, they'll spot us immediately."
Damn it…
The door rattled. Hands outside seized the latch and shook it; the bar trembled and sent dust drifting down.
"There's a building here, but the door's locked."
"What? Open it. If it won't open, smash it."
"Yes, sir!"
More boots pounded closer. Then—
Bang! Bang!
A far heavier impact rocked the door; the bar screamed. Axe blades bit into the wood with wet thuds, splitting planks and thrusting through the gaps.
"Ready yourselves."
I gripped my spear shaft. Yu Eun and the others barely breathed as they clenched their weapons.
Bang! Crack!
The bar shattered. The door flew open, and for an instant several startled enemy faces filled the frame. I lunged, driving the spear through the throats of the two foremost men; a few of ours struck down the rest clustered at the threshold.
But—
"General! Hostiles are hiding in here!"
The cry went up, and the rest of the enemy began pouring toward the building.