Friends And Decisions

Seventh Year of the Sonwa Era
Third Moon, Third Day
Hairyu County, Five Miles West of Hairyu Castle

The sound of boots stomping on the frost-covered ground echoed as hundreds of men marched in unison and in formation.

All wore indigo-blue robes, a pair of trousers, a pair of hardy leather boots, and a black cuirass of lacquered lamellar armor. Similarly black lacquered helmets, shaped in the fashion of a rounded, wide brimmed hat, sat atop the heads of the soldiers. On their left, a simple bread bag hung at their side, on their right, a cartridge pouch, with an integrated frog for a bayonet. The soldiers’ snaplock muskets, bayonets already fixed, rested on their shoulders as they marched.

Ren watched as Issen, commanding this particular formation, put the soldiers through their various drills.

Here, a slight distance away from the walled city, Ren set up his training camp.

He sighed, still regretting the decision to commit to making Ginshi’s ideals a reality.

“But commit I did,” Ren said to himself. “No point going back now.”

The roaring of cannons from across the camp diverted his attention.

Four eighteen-pounder guns, captured from the bandit army days prior, pounded a set of targets miles away. The gun carriages, previously heavy and overbuilt, now came in a lighter package, allowing for more flexibility in their deployment.

Ren sighed once more, before feeling someone tap on his shoulder.

Ren turned around, his blue eyes meeting a pair of red eyes and, again, sighed.

“You really do sigh a lot,” Ginshi said. Ren lazily chuckled at Ginshi's comment.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” he replied. “... You here for the report?”

Ginshi nodded in response before sitting down next to Ren on the frost-covered grass.

General Kai’s pulled on the reins of his horse, bringing it to a stop just in front of the hastily erected stables of the camp.

His gaze landed on a hill some distance away, where he noticed Ginshi’s white hair waving in the wind.

General Kai sighed as he dismounted from his horse, his subordinates following suit.

Courtesy of Ren and Governor Shou, the cavalry under General Kai grew to roughly three hundred, having been supplemented by volunteers from Hairyu County and handfuls of ducal soldiers loyal to Princess Ginshi.

Though lacking quality weapons and equipment, the new additions absorbed General Kai’s training well, regardless of the background of the soldiers.

General Kai sighed once more, prompting the curiosity of one of his subordinates. Noticing this, General Kai chuckled before returning his attention to his liege.

“How times have changed,” he muttered to himself. “A highborn princess sitting side by side with a lowborn orphan, both treating each other like longtime friends.”

General Kai could not help but smile.

(I knew her highness since she was born,) he thought to himself. (Yet, I’ve never seen her so comfortable and relaxed around someone.)

“...Perhaps I need to rethink my values.”

“Hey,” Ginshi suddenly said, pointing to one of the units conducting drills as she did so. “Is that one of the penal units you mentioned?”

Ren looked up, his gaze following that of Ginshi’s, landing on a group of soldiers armed with a mix of polearms and muskets.

“Yeah,” Ren replied. "They’re the prisoners you saved.”

“WE saved, you mean,” Ginshi countered. “Besides, it was your idea to recruit them in the first place.”

Ren, however, shook his head.

“As far as they’re concerned,” said he. “You saved their lives and gave them a second chance. If they weren’t so motivated, we wouldn’t have managed to train them up so much in just a week.”

Ginshi opened her mouth to say something before hesitating. With a sigh, she closed her mouth before averting her gaze.

“Hey...” she finally said. “I know you’re not going to like what I’m about to say, but I have a request.”

She then returned her gaze to Ren.

“I want you as my chief strategist (軍師),” Ginshi stated.

Ren, in the middle of taking a sip from his bamboo water bottle, choked on the water in surprise.

“... You’re joking,” said he. Ginshi, however, shook her head.

“You are the only one that fits the role,” said she.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I, you know, work my way up the ladder or something?” Ren countered. “That’s quite the responsibility for a random orphan you found in the countryside.”

“You already did,” Ginshi replied. “You are the one that planned the defense of the castle last month.”

“Still,” Ren tried. “Aren’t there better options?"

“Like?”

“General Kai.”

Ginshi paused, considering Ren’s statement, before shaking her head.

“As a frontline commander, leading troops directly from the front, he is not a bad option,” said she. “The problem is that he lacks imagination.”

Ginshi, noticing Ren’s sour face, which both protested and acknowledged Ginshi’s logic, quietly giggled at Ren’s predicament.

The sound of someone running towards them cut off their meeting.

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Seventh Year of the Sonwa Era
Third Moon, Fourth Day
Hairyu County, Western Road

Prince Li Mouchu (李 孟冲), of the ruling house of Burin, widened his eyes at the sight before him.

Behind his personal carriage, flanked by nomadic horse archer mercenaries from the steppe, three thousand soldiers marched in column towards Hairyu Castle. Comprised of a healthy mix of spearmen, arquebusiers, crossbowmen, and other arms, this army served well as an example of the average military force of the period.

But, as far as Mouchu could tell, the formation which blocked his path surpassed expectations.

Fifteen hundred musketeers, all uniform in dress and equipment, stood at the ready from atop a nearby hilltop, in front of what looked like a pair of cannons. Not bothering to hide in ambush, Mouchu figured this force merely came to both intimidate and inquire into the purpose of his own army.

Mouchu chuckled.

“Altan,” he called, causing one of the horse archers to approach Mouchu’s carriage.

Altan bowed as he approached.

“You called for me, sire?” he asked, to which Mouchu nodded.

“Go up to that army on the hill,” Mouchu commanded. “And ask them to identify themselves. If they are who I think they are, they will not shoot at us.”

Altan nodded at his employer’s command but paused as he heard the sound of hooves from further down the road.

Seeing the small cavalry force approaching, Mouchu widened his eyes as he smiled.

“Those banners…” he muttered. “I was right. They will not shoot at us.”

Ginshi sighed in relief as she saw the carriage heading the previously unidentified force approaching her tent.

Next to her, Ren awkwardly scratched his head.

“Someone you know, Princess?” he asked, to which Ginshi nodded.

“He is not our enemy, I think,” said she. “Still not sure about the army behind him.”

Ren groaned at this response.

The carriage stopped in front of the tent and out jumped a boy wrapped in red silk robes, a sword hanging at his hip.

“Sister!” he exclaimed, his face lit up with a bright expression. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

The boy then rushed up to Ginshi and hugged her, almost tackling her in the process.

“Mouchu…” Ginshi muttered, simultaneously patting her little brother on the head and struggling to peel him off at the same time. “Behave yourself. We’re in public.”

Ren felt a drop of sweat drip down the side of his face despite the cold.

Ginshi, well aware of the atmosphere, shifted her gaze towards Ren with an awkward smile on her face.

“Um…” she tried. “This is my little brother Mouchu. He’s the governor of Suijin (水神) county.”

“Not ‘governor,’” Mouchu corrected. “‘Provisional Governor.’ I’m not allowed to be a proper governor until I’m sixteen. Still got two years to go.”

Ren smiled before shallowly bowing to Mouchu as a greeting.

Mouchu, seeing this, stopped and stared curiously at Ren.

“Sister,” said he. “Who is this person? You speak to him so casually.”

Ginshi hesitated, glancing at Ren for a moment, before answering.

“This is Ren,” said she. “He’s my strategist.”

Mouchu widened his eyes.

“Hmm,” he seemed to wonder. “You chose a commoner as your strategist...?”

Mouchu pondered the matter before excitedly widening his eyes again.

“Could it be...?” said he. “Sister, could it be that you two are lo-!”

A swift knock on the head by Ginshi silenced that accusation.

“Mouchu,” Ginshi scolded, her usually pale face reddening slightly in embarrassment. Mouchu, however, simply chuckled.

“I’m only joking, Sister,” said he. “I just thought that, knowing you, the only way a commoner can gain employment under you is by either proving his abilities or you falling in love with them. Or both.”

Mouchu then walked over to where Ren stood before shallowly bowing.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ren,” said he. “I look forward to working with you in the battles to come.”

At this, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

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“Forty-five hundred men,” Ren muttered as he lay atop a rudementary straw mattress. “Plus, three thousand from Prince Mouchu's host. Cavalry’s looking good. Infantry’s looking good. Would be nice if we had a little more artillery, but it can’t be helped.”

Ren paused, pondering his next step for the army placed under his command, whether he liked it or not.

Letting out a tired breath, Ren got up off the mattress and stepped outside of the tent into the main encampment.

As the sun looked to sink beneath the horizon, Ren’s breath condensed into a cloud of vapor. He then walked towards the largest tent in the encampment.

Ren opened the tent’s flap before peeking his head inside.

“Excuse me,” said he, his eyes deliberately closed in case he might see something he should not have. “Is Princess Ginshi here?”

“Come in, Ren,” Ginshi replied. “The other commanders are here too.”

At this, Ren nodded, opened his eyes, and proceeded to walk into the tent.

Amidst the wavering lights of multiple candles, nine individuals surrounded a large rudimentary rectangular table at the center of the tent.

On the right, General Kai stood near the head of the table, followed by, Zen-u, Mina, and another young man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties.
This man, Son Bi (孫 備), commanded the one hundred-or-so men who manned the eighteen-pounder guns. Coming from the village of the sage, his skills in mathematics made him the perfect choice amongst the limited available candidates for the job, especially considering how Ginshi considered artillery to be “weaponized trigonometry.”

On the left, the commanders of the four infantry regiments stood.
First stood the commander of the First Regiment of Foot, Gaimei Sou (嵬名 操). Taller compared to everyone else, Gaimei’s darker skin and writing style betrayed his heritage as one of the myriads of ethnic minorities in the realm. Possessing previous military experience in the armies of Burin, he deserted the army following a false accusation of insubordination and cowardice by his then-commanding officer before settling in the Village of the Sage. Like many men who came from Hairyu County, he cut his hair short in a manner similar to a pixie cut, whereas the rest of the realm wore their hair in topknots.
Next stood the commander of the Second Regiment of Foot, Ou Min (王 明). Perhaps the second oldest member of the group behind General Kai, Ou sported a signature goatee and wore his hair in a traditional topknot. He previously commanded a company of around one hundred men in the armies of Burin but decided to retire following the late Duke’s death. He only stands here at the request of General Kai, his former commanding officer.
Next stood the commander of the Hairyu Volunteer Regiment, Chou Rin (張 凛). Standing slightly shorter than everyone else, Chou is one of the handful of women who joined Princess Ginshi’s army. A volunteer from Hairyu Castle, she distinguished herself during the previous battle against the bandit army and found herself voted into her new position by her comrades and subordinates.
Last stood the commander of the Princess’s Own Fusilier Regiment, Issen.

Ren frowned.

“You were holding a general meeting and didn’t invite me?” he complained, to which Ginshi giggled.

“I thought you hated meetings,” she teased.

Ren, slightly irritated, shot a glance over at Zen-u and Mina, who both pretended to look busy.

Ren sighed.

“Princess,” said he, deliberately changing the topic as he did so. “Assuming we give your elder brother the entire month to prepare, how big of a host will we need to deal with?”

“It depends,” Ginshi replied. "His personal holdings alone can easily raise five thousand levies. Add to that any generals of the Ducal Army who pledge their loyalty to him, and the personal troops of various loyal nobles, we might need to confront an army of twenty thousand, maybe more.”

Mina then spoke up.

“Compared to that,” said she. “Our army of forty-five hundred only have enough firearms for two-thirds of our infantry. We lack organic cavalry forces and adequate siege artillery. Prince Mouchu’s army only has enough firearms for half its infantry and has no artillery at all. His cavalry is fairly good, though, and has plenty of them.”

Ren nodded.

“How are we doing on winter clothing?” he asked.

“We’re well stocked,” Mina replied. “Enough winter coats for everyone. Besides, it’s almost spring, so the temperature will warm up soon.”

“That seems to be what Prince Mouren is waiting for,” General Kai said. "Campaign season.”

“Ammunition?” Ren asked.

“Barely enough for two or three battles, Mina replied. “Assuming an attrition rate similar to the battle we fought with the bandits.”

Mina then pulled a document out of the pile sitting in front of her and handed it to Ren.

“Also,” said she. “Because I know you’re going to ask, medical supplies don’t look good. Ranka’s trying her best to stock up but there’s only so much she can do.”

Ren nodded, now deep in thought.

He then sighed.

“The Emerald River divides Hairyu from Kouson (公村) county to our south, correct?” he asked to no one in particular. General Kai nodded in acknowledgement.

“Zen-u,” Ren said. “Find a suitable crossing point. I want a pontoon bridge there by tomorrow morning.”

Zen-u, without hesitation, nodded before grabbing his rifle and rushing out of the tent.

“Mina,” Ren continued. “Get the baggage train ready with Ranka. Everyone else, tell your troops to pack their bags.”

Ren sighed before glancing at Ginshi.

“We march at dawn,” he finished. “Is that alright, Princess?”

Ginshi, a confident smile on her face, nodded in response.