by Tao Wong
“How did it go?” said Li Yao.
Wu Ying looked at his girlfriend, marveling once more that someone as beautiful and refined as her would deign to even pay attention to him, never mind being his girlfriend. Li Yao was smaller than him, standing barely five foot four, but she had the pale, smooth skin of a noble—and graceful demeanor of one too. But unlike most noble women, Li Yao was muscular and athletic due to her training as a martial specialist.
“It could be worse,” said Wu Ying. “He did tell me that he is expecting this year’s war to be worse than normal.”
“I heard that too,” said Tou He. “When I was out of the Sect, I noticed some movement among the peasants bordering the state of Wei. Many of them were sending their children and elderly to family farther from the borders.”
“We do have it worse when a war breaks out.” Wu Ying stabbed desultorily at his bowl of noodles, remembering when past wars had shaken his village. The worse the fighting got, the more the lords would take in terms of food, people, and money.
With a small smile, Li Yao watched the pair talk. “At least we won’t be required to fight.”
“Isn’t that kind of what martial specialists do?” said Wu Ying.
“No, not really. We’re the Sect’s fist, but only when in contention against another Sect. We owe some loyalty to the kingdom, but we are cultivators. The Sect has already seen the passing of one kingdom and it still stands. We must have a longer view,” said Li Yao.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that,” said Tou He.
“Why? Because I’m a noble’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
Li Yao shook her head. “We are not all the same, you know. Some of us seek to be real cultivators. I know, I know, there are many here just to increase their strength. They are but an extension of their family. But you should know me better than that.”
One thing struck Wu Ying about what she had said and he leaned forward, fixing Li Yao with his gaze. “You said the Sect had survived one kingdom?”
Li Yao nodded.
“Did the Sect abandon the previous kingdom?”
“In a way. This was three hundred years ago or so?” said Li Yao. “But if I recall my history right, the old kingdom insulted the Sect and the Sect Master chose to use the insult as an excuse to withdraw the Sect’s support. Forced to fight cultivators and the invading army alone, the kingdom fell.”
“Huh. That wasn’t what I learned in school,” said Wu Ying.
“I doubt the official curriculum would be as blunt,” said Li Yao with a slight smirk.
“Well, let’s just hope that they’re all wrong.” Tou He looked around the crowded dining hall then lowered his voice further. “We’re not really trained to fight with an army. In fact, maybe it’s something we should look into with the martial specialists.”
“I’m not really interested,” said Li Yao.
“Shirking knowledge for the sake of preference is not wise,” cautioned Tou He.
Li Yao shrugged, a mulish look crossing her face. When Tou He looked to speak again, Wu Ying shook his head. He had learned to read Li Yao well. When she got into such a state, even logic would not dissuade her. In time, she would likely come around, but you had to let her come to that realization on her own.
“I do like that spring is coming,” said Wu Ying, changing the topic. “I’ve seen some new assignments in the hall. Soon enough, I’ll be out gathering again.”
Li Yao brightened. “Definitely. I can’t wait to see you fight for real. After all that practice with your sword by yourself, doing it together will be amazing.”
Wu Ying kept a straight face, but Tou He could not help but choke off a laugh.
Grinning devilishly, Tou He leaned forward and said to Li Yao, “Tell me more about Wu Ying’s sword. Have you taken a good look at it?”
Li Yao frowned at Tou He. “What you mean? You’ve played with his sword too.”
This time around, Wu Ying could not help but laugh at Tou He’s red face. Once they diverted Li Yao from asking about the blushing, the group turned their discussion back to the new assignments in the hall. And, of course, what they intended to buy with the contribution points they would earn.
Chapter 2
“You want to learn how to fight with an army?” said Chao Kun. The older martial specialist was in the late Energy stage of cultivation, rumored to be only a step away from reaching Core cultivation. Standing just under six feet, Chao Kun was handsome but not devastatingly so. His point of pride was his hair that reached his waist.
Tou He and Wu Ying were standing before the late stage Energy Storage martial specialist in the middle of the martial specialist training hall. Of course, the training hall wasn’t a single building but a series of three buildings, a training yard with a dozen sparring arenas and the requisite exercise and training equipment. While technically not for the martial specialists’ exclusive use, few who were not dedicated to martial arts dared to visit the martial hall. After all, the martial specialists just were not very good at not being competitive.
“Are you thinking about joining the war?” said Chao Kun.
“No,” said Tou He.
“Maybe,” said Wu Ying simultaneously. Tou He looked at Wu Ying with surprise, only to have his friend shrug. “I was supposed to fight in the war, you know? A part of me thinks that maybe I should go back and help.”
“Well, you don’t really need to worry about that. They only choose from martial specialists when they’re looking for volunteers. You’re not one, Gatherer,” said Chao Kun. “Also, you are not even at Energy Storage. It would be foolish to allow an inner sect member who isn’t a martial specialist to join the war. There are so many better options.”
Wu Ying thought that Chao Kun was exaggerating a little but chose not to contradict his senior. There was nothing to be gained by making his senior lose face. In any case, he had a feeling his senior’s comments were more to alleviate his guilt than about practical considerations. “It’d still be worth it for us to learn.”
“Very well.”
Chao Kun looked around the yard and spotted a few other martial specialists. He waved them over, gathering the group around him.
“Much of how a cultivator is used in a war will depend on the cultivator’s abilities. A Core Formation elder is a very different individual from someone who has not reached the Energy Storage stage.” Chao Kun looked directly at Wu Ying when he said that. “That being said, since we are mostly in the Energy Storage stage here, I will focus on our use there.
“Firstly, for those who have significant experience with qinggong techniques, they are often used as scouts and for flanking attackers. The ability to move quickly and silently across all kinds of terrain to attack resupply convoys, direct other scouting parties to hit un-fortified defenses, and in some cases, even take out their opposing army’s officers are highly valued.”
“But doesn’t Elder Ko recommend we stay away from qinggong exercises?” Wu Ying asked with a frown.
“Only until you reach Energy Storage,” one of the other cultivators said. “Also, Elder Ko is a bit of a traditionalist.”
The group laughed, only to quiet from a glare by Chao Kun.
“Whatever he might be, Elder Ko is our Elder and should be respected. He only desires the best for each of us. And I’m sure his advice has helped everyone here at some point.”
The group mutely nodded at Chao Kun’s words.
“Good. Now, continuing. We have cultivator scouts who work alone for the most part, though they might work in pairs if they’re working behind enemy lines. But not all cultivators have the skills or temperament to make good scouts. As such, most cultivators are grouped in small teams. Those teams can work independently of the main body, or in other cases, fight alongside the army itself. When working interdependently, very little additional training is required.”
“Because we do that already?” Tou He asked.
“Yes. Exactly.” Chao Kun gestured at th
e group, then made his gesture wider to encompass the mountain and Sect. “We already work in small groups all the time. And while the army raiding parties might be better equipped, most are not much better trained than your average bandit group.”
“Some of them become bandits anyway,” another martial specialist complained.
The group nodded. It was no secret that some soldiers, ill content to become farmers or to return to a life of drudgery, turned to banditry. And while the local lords were tasked with dealing with the groups, when the bandits were too well trained or numerous, the Sect was offered the chance to finish the job.
Chao Kun gestured for the group to focus. “Now, for the teams fighting with the army—which can make up most of the cultivators sent, depending on the needs and the ways the general uses us—the training is different. Standing in a line with soldiers in a pike wall would make poor use of our skills.”
Wu Ying imagined his sword in a pike wall, the way he moved, and shuddered. All around, the other martial specialists did the same.
“So instead, most generals have us acting either as reinforcements, shock troops, or flanking strikers.”
“Isn’t that the same as fighting alone?” the noisy martial specialist said.
“No. Because not only will you have to learn to understand the flags and drums of the army, you might be tasked to act independently. Which means reading the flow of the battle. More”—Chao Kun held up a finger—“if you are reinforcing a line, you will have to not only rush to the broken line and beat the enemies, but also contain your style so that when the regular reinforcements arrive, you may leave.”
Once again, the group tried to imagine that. There were more than a few grimaces as their imaginary scenarios played out. Big, swinging attacks, especially for those who wielded polearms, would be contraindicated. It might patch the hole fast, but then none of their reinforcements could take over. Same with big movements with the intention to reposition.
“For those acting as the vanguard or as shock troops to break a line, you’ll need to learn how to do that. That means training against massed volleys of arrows and how to break a shield or pike wall,” Chao Kun said. “Flanking is a little easier, though individual tactics there are somewhat different. Your goal will not be individual fatalities but disrupting the formation. In some cases, powerful and shocking attacks will be more important. The best flanking teams can break right through a formation, hopelessly disrupting an entire side. Again, you’ll have to learn what works best for you, depending on your styles.”
“We should learn that,” Tou He said, elbowing Wu Ying.
“Yes, yes,” Wu Ying muttered. It would certainly add to that experience Elder Cheng had spoken of.
“For the elite cultivators—those who have shown their ability—the generals often have another task for us. The most dangerous task.” Chao Kun swept his gaze over the group, making sure he had their attention. “Cultivator hunting.”
“Hunting?” another of the martial specialists muttered.
“If we are sending groups of cultivators to disrupt and bolster our men, don’t you think the enemy will want to stop that?” Chao Kun said rhetorically. “Of course they will. And we will too, on our side. So we hunt their teams of cultivators, and they ours. Generals craft special teams and send them to fight or delay other hunting or disruptive teams.”
Wu Ying nodded. That made sense. But… “What do Core cultivators do then?”
Chao Kun looked at Wu Ying before he shrugged. “It depends on the number of Core cultivators the enemy has.”
Wu Ying raised an eyebrow in further query.
“If we have more, we send those who are in surplus to fight and disrupt,” Chao Kun said. “In those cases, either their Core cultivators come out to fight and are beaten—or at least injured. Or they retreat until the numbers match. And we do the same.”
Wu Ying nodded, recollecting the fights he had witnessed that involved Core cultivators. Alone, they could easily devastate an entire division. Even an Energy Storage cultivator could injure multiple soldiers with a single strike. But a Core cultivator not only had more chi, but also could expand the size and range of their attack. A single strike could consume an entire platoon. And while Core cultivators were still mortal, they were much harder to injure since their flesh and bone were strengthened by the chi within. A Core cultivator that studied Body Strengthening exercises would be a nightmare for an army.
Already, Wu Ying could see how a war could be—would be—fought between the armies. Keeping the number and presence of Core cultivators hidden in each army would be of vast importance. Intelligence—drawn from cultivators and spies—would play an important part in clashes.
“Any further questions?” Chao Kun said. “If it’s nothing important, we’ll begin. Some of you will need to play the soldiers. Others will take the part of the cultivators.” When some grumbled, Chao Kun glared at all the martial specialists who had opened their mouths. “You’ll all get the chance to play the hero.”
Seeing that his last pronouncement had the group silenced, Chao Kun grinned and clapped his hands together. “Good. Then let’s begin. Gao Fei. Lu Feng. Wu Ying. You can be the cultivators. Everyone else, grab a polearm.”
***
Two hours later, Wu Ying was bouncing on the balls of his feet at the back of the line of “soldiers” as he waited for the signal. At first, there had been just over a dozen of them learning aspects of the fight. There had been a lot to learn, from the various flag signals and meaning of barked commands, to the most effective forms. The first hour had been a terrible mess, and within ten minutes, Chao Kun had made everyone slow down to reduce injuries.
Perhaps the clumsiness of their actions was what had attracted the first of the crowds. It was unusual to see the vaunted martial specialists failing at anything combat-related. At first, only a few inner sect members had come to watch. Then as word spread, more and more Sect members arrived. The group had grown nervous and self-conscious, making even more mistakes—which Chao Kun pounced upon and berated the group for in ever more creative language. Just before the entire group dispersed in disgust, Elder Hsu appeared.
The eccentric Elder, best known for studying a Northern snail-style grappling art, had been attracted by word of the training. Seeing the pitiful number of members on both sides, he had taken over from Chao Kun and proceeded to order the gawking crowd to join as new “soldiers.” Freed from playing the soldiers, the martial specialists were split, with Chao Kun and Elder Hsu receiving equal numbers. Then the training had begun in earnest.
Wu Ying found himself grinning in a predatory fashion, his entire body poised forward as he waited. Waited for the flags to change. For the soldiers in front of him to part. Or for the drums—drums which had magically appeared in the last fifteen minutes—to signal another change. Behind, Chao Kun stood on a raised platform, focused on the lines.
A pink flag in the side of Wu Ying’s vision moved. He turned, watching the flag holder’s hands. Up-right, down-down, down and left. Wu Ying took off, closely followed by Tou He. The pair loped left and wide, passing behind their own soldiers at a distance even as Wu Ying counted the raised taps of the pink flag. One. Two. Three. Three cultivators looking to flank their party.
“Right two,” Wu Ying called to Tou He.
“Heard.”
And then they were around their own people and coming within sight of the enemy team. Wu Ying drew and exhaled, sending a flash of power—more a push of wind than a serious attack—at his targeted opponents. This was the Dragon’s Breath attack Elder Cheng had told him to practice, though much reduced in strength. Tou He kept running, passing behind Wu Ying and going wide. His staff was ill-suited for fighting close to the soldiers, thus leaving Wu Ying to stay tight to the army and defend them.
The blast of chi-soaked air struck at the enemy. The closer of the two was more wary, bringing his dao[58] in a cut to destroy his portion of the attack in defense. His partner, less cautious,
was caught out and stumbled back. Growling in frustration, the second martial specialist stopped running and moved warily off the field of battle, crossing behind the third member of the team, who was busy trading blows with Tou He. The pair paid little attention to the “dead” cultivator as they fought, wide sweeping attacks of staff against shield and mace.
Wu Ying had no time to focus on their battle, caught up in his own fight with the dao wielder. For once, Wu Ying had to admit, his favored weapon might be less than perfect. In a battle as fierce as this, with his movements restricted, the dao—whose only requirement was to cut—beat out the finesse of the jian. Frustrated and unable to move away, lest he open the soldiers to an attack, Wu Ying went on the defensive, blocking and throwing light cuts in return. Each blocked blow sent shocks down his arm.
A flicker of motion in the corner of his eyes. Wu Ying flicked his sword to intercept it but was too late. The sand-filled bag attached to the arrowhead smacked into Wu Ying’s chest, leaving him with a bruise. Surprise filled Wu Ying for long enough that his opponent had to pull back a strike or risk injuring Wu Ying further.
“Arrows?” Wu Ying said, looking around. On the top of Elder Hsu’s viewing platform, a semi-familiar cultivator stood, arrow nocked to bow and firing on the opposite end of the field now. “Bao Cong? That’s not fair!”
“Off the field!” Wu Ying’s former opponent snapped at him.
Realizing his mistake, Wu Ying scrambled off, idly noting the trio of arrows that littered the area around Tou He. It seemed that the ex-monk’s defensive style—the Mountain Resides—could protect even against projectiles.
