The Sage, the Swordsman and the Scholars

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  Xin removed two paper-wrapped pellets from his belt pack and tossed them into their midst, creating a bright flash and a large plume of suffocating, dense white smoke. Disoriented and in a panic, the coughing pirates cupped their mouths and swung wildly in the smoke.

  They were immediately cut down by the lethally accurate strikes of Xin’s dagger. Like a shadow he darted to the left and right of the group. One after another, they fell to each blow. The last had finally realized he was all alone. He shook as his head swiveled in every direction looking for his opponent. Sun Xin emerged from the underbrush and stood motionless before the pirate. With a shrieking war cry, the pirate charged at Xin with sword raised in the air. Xin side-stepped away from the blow and rammed the dagger into the back of the pirate’s neck.

  After the smoke had completely dissipated, he was the sole figure standing in the woods. His dark eyes glared at their lifeless bodies. His gaze was cold and without remorse. They deserved a thousand deaths. But that, Xin felt, would not have even been enough to pay for the lives of the townspeople they murdered.

  He wiped the blood from his dagger and locked it into its scabbard with a satisfying click. This was the side of himself his master had always warned. It emerged out of hatred and thirst for vengeance; some have called it the Swordsman’s Curse— an addiction to bloodshed born out of a swordsman’s fury. Xin denied that it would consume him and destroy him one day, but he was beginning to feel oddly comfortable with the feeling, like a thirst that had been quenched. When it overtook him, his speed, accuracy and skill were unmatched.

  He proceeded to greet the general and the arriving troops. After retrieving the horse, he regrouped with the nearby troops to meet General He Jin. The look in his eye was different, like there was no soul behind them.

  “All possible threats to our surprise attack have been eliminated, general. The element of surprise remains with us,” Xin said in a low cold tone that the even an accomplished soldier like General He Jin found somewhat unnerving.

  “Well done, swordmaster. Now let us put an end to this pirate nuisance once and for all.” When they approached the road lined with the corpses of the town’s former inhabitants, the troops became agitated and horses whinnied. Some of the soldiers vomited at the stench.

  “What sort of madness could have possibly come over these barbarians??” cried Captain Liu Quan.

  “Not madness. Just evil,” Xin answered.

  As they neared the township, the artillery, infantry, and cavalry units took their elevated positions around the town’s outskirts. Lying low in the distance amongst tall grass and trees, they awaited the general’s signal. Xin stood among them, ready for the assault. Up on a hill under cover of foliage and vegetation, the general assembled seven cannons ready to fire. Plumes of smoke rose from inside the town and several pirates stood watch pacing around the gate entrances. Seven loud thunderous booms resounded from the hill as fiery cannon balls crashed into the town. Dirt, mud, clay, and brick flew into the air, and shouts and cries followed suit. The pirates within the town panicked and ran in confusion to the sudden unexpected attack.

  Chaos ensued as they scurried in various directions with their swords drawn, though unable to find an enemy. The enemy blew a siren; their signature conch shell droned like a large horn signaled them to regroup. So far, it was going as planned for Xin and the general’s troops. The pirates made a mad dash towards their ships docked at the harbor only to find them already sunken or engulfed in flames. The other ships were anchored far off shore out of reach. They proceeded to exit through the gates, but were abruptly met by the general’s cavalry that charged right through their ranks and trampling or cutting down all pirates in their path. The rest were met by archers and gunners who completely cut off their retreat. Arrows and ball bullets peppered the pirate company shredding armor and flesh. The volley devastated their ranks.

  Back inside the town, they prepared to make a stand –swords unsheathed, bows drawn, and spears at the ready. Those wearing armor or who were on horseback formed the front of their ranks ready to defend themselves from the Ming’s unexpected attack. The Ming infantry charged into town for an all-out assault while Sun Xin trailed close behind. General Jin’s cannons continued to bombard the town.

  Deep into the streets, the imperial army collided head on with the pirates, and the sounds of clashing blades and spears were drowned out by war cries and shouts. The Ming infantry crossed blades and spears with the pirates— many of whom still wore the silk-strewn iron armor of their days as aristocratic warrior class. Some from the Ming cavalry charged through and collided with the mounted pirates. Many fell on each side. Sun Xin observed Captain Liu Quan from a distance. The officer charged forward, leaped up onto a fence post and launched himself at a pirate, spear in perfect position. Afterward, he engaged several more, skillfully cutting down and impaling all who dared to challenge his onslaught.

  Even the general joined in on the chaos. He barked orders from the sidelines while engaging a few pirates on his own. He cut them down without trouble.

  The pirate lord Mizushima was Sun Xin’s main objective. He evaded the brunt of the conflict in the streets by seeking elevation on the rooftops. A mounted pirate clad in red armor charged through the army’s ranks cutting down the men with his long polearm— a curved, broad blade mounted on the end of a shaft. Xin had found his target. He readied the crossbow and loaded a bolt. He crouched, took careful aim at the moving target, and pulled the trigger. The bolt scored a direct hit on the pirate lord, but only managed to dent the reinforced ridge on the back of the iron armor. After recovering from the blow, he redirected his gaze to Sun Xin perched on the rooftop.

  Multiple arrows whistled past Xin’s face while others shattered the roof tiles beneath his feet. As he evaded the second volley, he reloaded the crossbow and fired at the lead bowman positioned several rooftops away. With incredible accuracy, the bolt pierced right through his forehead, and pierced the other behind him, scoring a double kill. Xin leaped to the ground and softened the impact with a roll then made a mad dash toward Mizushima who was fighting in the chaos of several hundred men.

  A stray cannon ball blew onto his position and knocked him off balance. His vision blurred and his ears rang, but he looked up to keep his eyes on the target. One of the general’s mounted commandos wielding a lance charged through the foray in an attempt to dismount Mizushima. They exchanged blows with their polearms; the cracking sound of wood and steel slamming into each other pierced through the chaotic noise of the battle. Both men then locked weapons and began exchanging fist blows. They eventually grappled each other off their mounts and onto the ground. They locked in full hand to hand combat. Mizushima bisected the commando’s spear. The commando then grabbed the pirate lord’s glaive, and tossed him into the ground with a hip throw. He drew his longsword and swung down to kill the pirate lord himself. Mizushima blocked the attack, causing the shaft of his polearm to shatter. He rolled backward onto his feet as he drew his curved sword and they crossed blades. The commando, despite his valiant effort fell to the pirate lord’s sword technique. A stab into the exposed area of his armpit along with slash across the throat finished him off.

  Sun Xin refocused his vision and shook off the disorientation as he drew his own sword. He charged full speed and flew into Mizushima with a powerful drop kick, knocking him hard into the muddied ground. The pirate lord stood and recovered his saber-like sword.

  He spoke to Sun Xin with a heavy accent. He glared at Xin as if recognizing him. “You… I do not know what you think you are trying to do here, but know your efforts are all in vain. You have no idea of the forces you will face. This is bigger than any of you, all of you!”

  Sun Xin spat and twirled his sword into his combative stance with two fingers pointed at his enemy. “I know that right now, you are my enemy and that it will be you who will fall to my blade!” He charged at Mizushima with a series of consecutive sword thrusts and swipes, but every attack Xin delivered was
unable to break Mizushima’s defenses. Well executed blocks and parries rendered Xin’s usual techniques useless. The pirate lord’s two-handed swordsmanship was not only exceptional, but heavily experienced and all too foreign. He proved to be one of Xin’s tougher opponents. He found it hard to believe the pirate was holding his ground against his proven style. It seemed unnatural and even impossible.

  They continued trading blows and combination attacks seemingly at a stalemate as the battle between the pirates and the Ming forces continued to rage in the background. Mizushima caught Xin’s sword hand, twisted his wrist and grappled him to the ground. Xin retaliated with a sweeping leg kick that brought the pirate crashing onto his back. Xin rolled backwards onto his feet when all of a sudden the towering stone structure next to him began to collapse from the bombardment. Both men dove out of the collapsing structure’s path as the general’s cannons continued to fire upon the battlefield. Rubble and debris piled high on the street separating the two combatants.

  In the waters towards the East, a handful of the pirates’ box-shaped ships fired upon Xin and the Ming imperial forces. They were armed with a bizarre, long ranged weapon never before seen by the men. The ships were from Riben no doubt, but the flashes originating from the ships were a pale blue, and were much too far to be within firing range of even the best cannons. There was no time to consider such curiosities. Xin needed to eliminate his target. He crawled to the top of the rubble only to see that Mizushima had already mounted his horse.

  “Take our duel as a learning experience, swordsman. You have my respect, but not my favor. Next time, we will not part until your blood drips from the tip of my blade!” he said with a devious smile.

  He and the surviving pirates then retreated towards the sea where the ships had docked while they continued to fire explosive projectiles onto the Ming forces. The Ming soldiers retreated and proceeded to escape the bombardment. Many were injured and dozens were dead, strewn throughout the streets and underneath debris. The neighs and whinnies of horses and the shouts of the troops were drowned out in Xin’s mind as his body surged with utter frustration at his inability to accomplish the mission.

  Fresh pirate reinforcements flooded out of the boats to cover Mizushima’s escape. Dozens of them with longbows fired a volley of arrows that arced high over the town and rained down on the rooftops and streets. Soldiers took cover and raised their shields. Xin merely swiped and slashed them away as he made his exit. He rendezvoused with General He Jin who tried to salvage the remaining cannons whilst evading enemy fire coming from the distance. So began the long march back to the garrison where many of the injured limped or were carried back in stretchers and carriages. A few horses had no riders and carried only saddles where some of the cavalry forces used to mount.

  Whether the battle was won or lost is a matter of opinion. Mizushima and his men were overwhelmed, forced to retreat and were only able to do so under the cover fire of their newly arrived comrades. To Sun Xin, however, it was utter defeat. That was the first time he had ever failed at an assassination, or had faced anyone that had been able to defend against his techniques so effectively.

  The return trip to the garrison was spent in silence, save for a few random orders shouted by commanding officers, and the moans and groans of the injured. Upon returning to the garrison, the injured were tended. In the General’s office, Sun Xin and the key officers convened to discuss the battle that had taken place. No had expected the arrival of enemy reinforcements. Not only did this reveal an unexpected increase in their numbers, but a new discovery of their combative capabilities. No one was aware of weapons that fired explosive projectiles that spewed from blue flames.

  “It may seem that the empire’s problem with pirates is slowly turning into a full-scale war. These turn of events, I admit, are very surprising,” said General He Jin as he rubbed his forehead. “I have never seen such weapons capability in all my years in service. This changes many things for us in our fight against the pirate plague,” His armor was soiled, stained with blood, mud and dirt.

  “The Ming Empire possesses the most advanced military weapons in the known world. There is no way pirates have the means or resources to design and manufacture such sophisticated artillery. Even their homeland does not possess a culture of inventiveness and innovation,” Captain Liu Quan growled. He was noticeably frustrated and confused with the outcome of the battle; he slammed his fist onto the map-covered table.

  “That is because they were supplied with those weapons,” Sun Xin interjected from the corner of the room. He stood on one leg, his arms crossed, and his back leaning against the wall. “And I believe I know from whom they were acquired.” The others in the room turned their attention to Xin and stood quietly in anticipation of what he would continue to say. “Not too long ago, strange ships docked in the ports of Guangzhou and carried with them foreigners no one else had ever before seen. None of the merchants from the South or near-west have ever seen such ‘men’ nor of such ships in any of their travels until recently. These… pale-skinned foreigners carried with them many precious commodities for which the elites of Guangzhou have developed quite a taste, and with careful diplomacy, they have been able to acquire unprecedented privileges with the Ming government. Such privileges would be considered controversial under normal circumstances.” Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

  “Do you have any evidence that the weapons we saw in action today did indeed come from those Foreigners, Xin?” inquired the Captain.

  “No, but that is the only reasonable explanation I have for the moment. It would appear that our visitors do not distinguish us from our enemies and are foolishly supplying them with weapons. That is going to be a problem,” Xin continued. General He Jin nodded in agreement to his conclusions.

  “Something tells me that this was no mere accident. Maybe the supplying of such arms to our enemies was deliberate. If this is indeed the case then the Capital must be warned that the Foreigners have been conducting business with the enemy.” The general sighed shaking his head with his face in one palm. “There is something more serious, more sinister brewing in the shadows.”

  “It may already be too late to warn the government,” remarked Xin. “The Foreigners may have already found their way into the pockets of many of our esteemed government officials. They have been in continuous communication since they have arrived. Something is definitely happening in secret.”

  The following morning, General He Jin and Sun Xin stood outside the garrison gates discussing the next possible course of action in their campaigns against the pirates and not to mention the arrival of the Pale Foreigners who could potentially be a new threat unlike the Middle Kingdom has ever encountered.

  “My inability to carry out my mission yesterday cost us the victory. I must go away for some time to reflect on my failure. This means I must seek out my old master in order to find closure,” stated Xin in a steely tone. The General patted him on the shoulder.

  “Do not take the defeat too bitterly, comrade. We succeeded in ousting them from the shores. Mizushima has been known to elude the best of us as well as defeat the best in us. I will go to Guangzhou and report to the Scholars what we have discovered here. Perhaps they would know what to do.”

  Xin nodded. “Offer them my regards… and my apologies for my absence. I have… some unfinished business to attend to.” They exchanged farewells and went their separate ways. Xin proceeded northwest and the General with a light detachment of his personal commandos headed south to Guangzhou to meet with the League.

  ****

  It had been ten long years since Xin fled his master’s instruction in defiance and arrogance. He regretted the state in which he departed from his master’s home in the mountains of the Huguang region but he still clung tightly to the reasoning that justified his departure. He wondered anxiously if his master would welcome him after all these embittered years. He had a long road ahead which meant that he has a long time to spend thinking how he would greet hi
s master upon his arrival. He knew that his training was incomplete, and he craved to finish it in order to defeat Mizushima. His inability to defeat the pirate lord tormented him. It was unacceptable. Returning to his master seemed to be his only recourse. However, the question remained: Would his master instruct him again? Would he even look at him?

  5 THE WARRIOR MONK FROM SHAOLIn

  THE ROAD HAD BECOME LESS lonely for Famin Jie. Farmers across the province had begun their harvest and many carried their new crops to several markets throughout the villages and towns. Ox-drawn carts full of fresh produce were just in time for the festival and caused quite a stir in Jie’s belly. He craved a bowl of vegetable noodle soup. Aching feet and a growling stomach made him all the more eager to reach his stopover.

  The town really opened up further down the road which led to the heart of a valley. The entrance to the town was marked by a large gate that arched over the road and on its face the sign said Town of Fuza. The festivities had already begun as the townsfolk hustled and bustled to and fro preparing for festivities. Colorful paper lanterns dangled overhead crisscrossing the streets, banners and posters were fixed to the walls, and succulent smell of street food saturated the air. Children ran about holding toys and snacks in their hands and only stopped to give the stranger entering their town a quick and curious glance before continuing to frolic through the streets and alleys. An assembly of musicians prepared their seats and instruments near the shops and houses where Famin Jie was headed.