{"id":6331,"date":"2021-08-24T22:09:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T14:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6331"},"modified":"2021-08-24T22:09:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T14:09:20","slug":"the-wind-blows-from-the-west-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6331","title":{"rendered":"The Wind Blows From the West Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The shootout had left Cheung shaken. When they rolled into town they discovered the nearest inn had closed for the night. After a brief debate, they passed the hours before sunup parked outside the inn. The risk takers took turns to guard the wagon, while the civilians tried to rest. Tung and Lee had more luck getting some sleep than Ayan and Cheung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, Cheung haggled with the inn owner and passed her a handful of chiao. In exchange, she allowed them to park the wagon without checking in. Cheung\u2019s local contact lived near the town market, so the four of them set off together, goods in tow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They ran into the procession exactly four minutes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Cheung muttered, mainly to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market square was empty, the stalls shoved to one side. At the far end was a tall stage. People lined the streets, workingmen and peasant women and rich people and everybody in between. A drummer sounded off at regular intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee craned his neck, looking for the drummer. Among the four he had the best view, by virtue of being nearly a head taller than the average Northeasterner. The others were squashed in, tiptoeing to no avail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of men appeared. They marched in twos, led by an older man. The leader wore the insignia of a tuichu<\/em>, a captain. The two men behind him carried large, stylized banners. The last man beat a drum in short tattoos. Every single man was armed: the captain, bannermen and drummer with a Webster revolver, everybody else with Blaser rifles and swords. All wore dark green brigandines. These were not the ceremonial armour officers wore for parades.  They were for war, dull and weathered, occasionally scratched and pitted, but otherwise in immaculate condition. As they approached, Lee sensed a powerful chi <\/em>emanations radiating from the soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were Imperial Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the middle of the formation was a battered man in tattered clothing, his neck enclosed in a heavy muchia<\/em>, what Lee\u2019s father would have called a cangue. Pieces of paper stuck to the wood proclaimed his name, address, and crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d Lee muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Imperial Guardsmen manhandled the prisoner up the stage, forcing him to his knees. One of the Guardsmen drew a long sword, while his colleagues levelled rifles at the prisoner\u2019s head. The captain launched into a monologue, entirely in the Northeast dialect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he saying?\u201d Lee whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll translate,\u201d Ayan said. \u201c\u2018This man, Maca of the Dahuri clan, is an enemy of the people. He conspired with the Westerners to undermine our great nation. Against the laws of our land, he imported illegal Western religious texts to spread the foreigners\u2019 lies. The magistrate has found him guilty of high treason. The penalty is death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The executioner blurred. Maca\u2019s head flew clean off his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imperial Guardsmen were all trained in the wuchi<\/em> arts. The executioner had moved so swiftly, Lee barely caught the motion. They were the Emperor\u2019s answer to Western sorceries. Their training and equipment was top-notch, their brigandines specially enchanted to provide superior protection,. With the country officially at peace with the foreigners, the Emperor had turned the Imperial Guard on what he called enemies of the people. The purge had begun shortly before the end of the I Chuan Uprising, and had never stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Guardsmen dispersed, Cheung bounded through the crowd, rushing for the stage. Lee followed him, keeping his head down and chi<\/em> suppressed. He did not<\/em> want the Guardsmen to see him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung was frozen, staring wordlessly at the head. Lee tapped his shoulder. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was\u2026that was my friend. My customer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee raised his eyebrow. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Did you know\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to leave the town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll talk later. Anyone associated with him is a suspect. We don\u2019t need the trouble and I can\u2019t afford the bribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee nodded. Then a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. It was the captain, flanked by his soldiers. Every single one of them had their hands on their swords or pistol butts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou! Foreigner! What are you doing here?\u201d he demanded in Anglian. \u201cWhy are you armed in my town?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a foreigner,\u201d Lee said slowly in Kuoy\u00fc. \u201cI\u2019m a member of the Shen Kang Shen Kang Risk Takers’ Guild. We all know foreigners can\u2019t be risk takers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProve it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, slowly, Lee unsnapped a pouch on his belt and pulled out his membership card. The captain snatched it from his hand, squinting at the fine print next to the punched holes. The words declared the owner was one Ethan Thomas Lee Yungji, mixed-blood, accredited member of the Shen Kang Risk Takers’ Guild<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee licked his lips, glancing around. There were eight of them. Not good odds, but Tung was coming up behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe you!\u201d the captain shouted, now in Kuoy\u00fc. \u201cI think you stole it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can vouch for him,\u201d Cheung cut in. \u201cHe works for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The captain looked down at the slight old man. \u201cAnd who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m just a merchant from Shen Kang, on my way to visit Magistrate Kong. This man saved me from a bandit attack yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat business do you have with the Magistrate? What\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung smiled ever so slightly. \u201cKong Min has\u2026interesting<\/em> tastes in furniture and clothing. I am but his humble supplier, here to show him my wares. I have an appointment with him in a quarter of an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The captain blanched. Then he focused his attention on Lee. \u201cYou. Don\u2019t cause any trouble in my town. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The captain jerked his head. The Guardsmen left. As soon as they were out of earshot, Cheung muttered, \u201cFanatics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tung and Ayan rushed up to them. \u201cIs there any trouble?\u201d she asked, her hand too-casually resting on the butt of her holstered C86.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot right now,\u201d Cheung said. \u201cBut they executed my customer. There\u2019s no reason to stay in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to go before the captain realises the Magistrate isn\u2019t expecting any visitors,\u201d Cheung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine.\u201d But the look in her eyes said they would finish this later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The shootout had left Cheung shaken. When they rolled into town they discovered the nearest inn had closed for the night. After a brief debate, they passed the hours before sunup parked outside the inn. The risk takers took turns to guard the wagon, while the civilians tried to rest. Tung and Lee had more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[102,136,143,253,303],"class_list":["post-6331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-cultivation","tag-fantasy","tag-free-story","tag-pulprev","tag-steampunk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}