“Everyone, stop! The enemy will notice us. Lower the flags too.”
We were west of Keiyou, on a plain with grass slippery from the rain. I stopped our forces on a small hill far away from Hakugin Castle. It was already close to dusk, and the rain continued to fall.
A large number of cavalrymen and foot soldiers in red armor were surrounding the castle, but it seemed that they’d put a halt to their attack—for now. Surrounded by an innumerable number of enemies and stained wet from the rain, the once-abandoned fortress looked like a small island floating amid a lake of blood.
I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the military flag flapping in the distance. “A golden border with a wolf in the center... Yep, it’s him. The Crimson Wolf.”
From behind me, I could hear my soldiers start to murmur among each other:
“Hey...”
“Can you see anything?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can see a flag, but...”
“He was able to perceive the details from this distance?!”
“The young master wants to be a civil official, right?”
I raised my hand and halted their discussion.
Next to me, Hakurei bit her lip and murmured, “So those are the Crimson Knights? There are only about three thousand of them, so I assume that it’s a reconnaissance team. If they’re using traditional methods of war, then the main forces should still be somewhere in the back. Even if it’s only a fraction of their army, what can we do against so many of them? I can’t imagine how they were able to get through Seitou’s defensive lines...”
“At this point, there can only be one answer to that.” I spat it in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. No matter what era we lived in, the most difficult enemies were the smartest ones. “Seitou actually betrayed us. I should’ve noticed something was up as soon as more of their wares appeared in the markets. They were the ones gathering intel, not Gen. They know everything from how many men we have to where we’ve placed them.”
Eyes widening, Hakurei made a disbelieving sound. I could see her shock reflected in the soldiers as well. Seitou had been our ally for close to a hundred years—but now they were our enemy. From this day forth, the Ei Empire would have to guard itself from a northern and a western threat.
Hakurei gripped her bow tighter and shook her head. Her face, wet from the rain, twisted. “That’s impossible! How could they have gotten through the steep Nanamagari Mountains with cavalrymen?!”
“It’s possible. The armies back in the days of the Tou Empire had been able to do it. Back then, we even brought elephants,” I said, tracing my distant memories.
“Young master!” one of the veteran soldiers interrupted with a laugh. “You’re talking as if you were actually there at the time!”
Quiet chuckles broke out among the ranks. The rain stopped. I winked and said in as light a tone I could muster, “Oops, must’ve read too many books. I wanna become a civil official, after all.”
The soldiers’ faces relaxed, looking at me in mild exasperation as if they were thinking, “Here he goes again.” Even though we would soon be facing down a powerful enemy, morale was still high. I expected nothing less from the Chou army that father had trained up. Most of the soldiers with us were veterans, so they weren’t so easily cowed under the circumstances. They were a reliable lot.
I met Hakurei’s eyes and then raised my hand for order. “Attention!” Every soldier turned to me and I looked around at them before I started to explain my strategy. “First, I will go in and disrupt their formation. Hakurei will lead you all in to help save the men from Hakugin Castle. Then, return to Keiyou. Do not abandon a single ally, not even the wounded.”
No one raised their voices, but I could tell that there was some murmuring going on. Still, no one opposed my plan. The enemy were the famed Crimson Knights—aside from the thousand already surrounding Hakugin Castle, there were two thousand foot soldiers waiting to swoop into action. In contrast, we only had five hundred cavalrymen on our side.
In order to overcome the difference in manpower we were going to have to use unconventional methods that the enemy would never think of. My soldiers all knew this from experience—as well as the fact that they had no choice but to place their trust in me, as their strategist. Things didn’t always go according to plan on the battlefield and the number of men an army had was an asset powerful enough that it could turn any tide.
Three times out of ten, my attempt at drawing the enemy fire would end with my death. However, that still meant I would survive seven times out of ten. The odds weren’t the worst.
Hakurei approached me, still on horseback, and glared. “Sekiei?”
I shook my head and replied in a firm voice, “We can argue later. If both of us charge in, then who will lead the army? As a freeloader of the Chou family, I better take any chance I can get to show off my worth. It’ll only be for a little while and I trust you to watch my back! As soon as you finish evacuating Hakugin Castle, signal me with a whistling arrow.” Then, in a softer voice so the soldiers didn’t hear, I added, “Don’t hold it against me if I die. Just live. No matter what you have to do.”
“I understand,” Hakurei said before she added in a voice as quiet as mine, “I will never forgive you if you die. If you do, then I will simply follow you.”
For a moment we glared at each other and then, aware of the soldiers watching us, looked away in unison. Looks like I won’t be able to die in peace anymore. The soldiers were smiling, looking like they were enjoying themselves for some reason. I slapped my palms against my cheeks to focus up. The rain had completely stopped.
“All right! Now then.”
I nocked an arrow on my bow and pulled the string back. We were out of range, but with this powerful bow, sent from Meirin... I closed an eye, held a breath, and then let go. Even in the fading light, I could see as clear as day when one of the enemy flags surrounding the fortress snapped in half. The wind carried the faint cries of the enemy soldiers. I held my bow above my head and raised my voice.
“CHARGE!”
I kicked my horse into a gallop and led my army’s advance on Hakugin Castle. Shooting arrow after arrow along the way, I killed as many soldiers as I could while still out of their range. From behind me, I could hear the surprised shouts of my allies.
“Young master?!”
“N-No way...”
“Ha ha ha, I knew it!”
“That’s amazing! He’s amazing!”
Their cheers and compliments mixed with the pounding of the horses’ hooves against the dirt. We were closing the distance fast. I could see the enemy commanders trying to calm their soldiers and get them to go back into formation, so I took aim at them—but before I could release my own arrow, another landed in their midst. I watched as a Gen commander pressed a hand to his shoulder, from which protruded a familiar arrow, and toppled off his horse.
“Good job!” I called to Hakurei. Her aim was so true that I was genuine in my compliment.
“That was nothing!”
The both of us raced along at the head of our army and rained down a merciless shower of arrows, knocking soldier after soldier from their mounts. It was clear that the enemy was frightened by the sudden ferocity of our attack.
“Don’t let the young master and Lady Hakurei take all the glory!” one of the veteran soldiers yelled.
“Yessir!”
Now that they were in range to use their bows, the cavalrymen on our side started shooting arrows as well. Though the enemy had been in disarray before, they were starting to gather their shields and pull back their wounded. The foot soldiers formed a line, their spears at the ready, while the cavalrymen gathered together. They were quick to recover from the shock of our ambush. Not only that, but I remembered that Gramps Raigen once told me how Gen’s cavalrymen were all capable of firing arrows from horseback. If it came to a straightforward archery competition, we would be at a disadvantage.
I held three arrows in my hand and shot them all as quickly as possible. For a moment, my attack pinned down the enemy cavalrymen and forced them to defend themselves. I took the chance to yell, “Now, Hakurei! Go!”
“Sekiei! But...I...” Her hesitation was clear. As a member of the Chou family she could not bring herself to abandon an ally. However, we needed Hakurei to both think and act like a commander—otherwise Gen was going to annihilate us.
At that moment, four of our soldiers caught up to us. All four were veterans and they were all wielding a different weapon—one a broadsword, one a spear, a halberd, and a war hammer.
“Lady Hakurei!”
“We shall accompany the young master as his guards.”
“General Chou saved our lives.”
“Ha ha ha! This is the perfect opportunity for us to repay our debts!”
“Hey! Shut up, you idiots!” I yelled. I shouldered my bow and unsheathed my sword as I tried to stop them. “I’m the only one who needs to—”
“Thank you...” Hakurei spoke over me. “Please, all of you, you need to hurry to the castle!” She bowed her head.
“Yes, ma’am! Leave it to us!” the four soldiers exclaimed as one.