The Tiny Emperor's Great Wall (Revised)

Chapter Fifteen

"So much for the best soldiers in the world," bellowed Hideyoshi. "All I saw were cowards." Shinko, enjoying his tea, almost choked at the sudden outburst. Marching into the castle's top room, Menkonnen glared back.

Biting his lips, Menkonnen came to the table and slammed a foot down on it. Hideyoshi yelped when a cup of hot tea spilled onto his lap. Groans slipped from Shinko at the bad behavior. Both generals' actions were appealing, yet he found himself powerless. Having led the defeated troops, he waited until called into the fray. None of the other generals felt like losing their heads either. Sipping away at their tea, they talked about the weather. Shinko at least picked up a cloth napkin and handed it over to his lord.

"Thank you," grumbled Hideyoshi as he cleaned himself.

"Last I checked, both of our armies fled the field," Menkonnen said. His snarl challenged Hideyoshi to defy him. "What am I supposed to tell my lord when I get back home? That we won a battle at a ridiculous cost?" To Shinko, he demanded, "How many troops did we lose in this assault?"

Shinko set his tea down as he scooted back in his seat. He bowed his head until he touched the ground—the ultimate sign of saying sorry. Words formed upon his lips, his voice cracking a little.

"How many?" demanded Hideyoshi.

"The ... the official count isn't yet confirmed," said Shinko. "We are still trying to figure that."

"How many?" screamed the lord.

"I am afraid we lost a third of our forces." Shinko's tails tucked between his legs as he curled into a ball.

Crossing his arms behind his back, Hideyoshi started for the door. He threw it open to glare at the standing wall. Despite the self-inflicted wounds, the enemy's fortification had healed itself within a couple of days, time which Shinko spent reorganizing his forces after the disaster.

Menkonnen sat on the table as he sighed. "We can't take another loss like that."

Silence came from Hideyoshi. Shinko, afraid to raise his head, held his position and listened to the soft creaking of the stone. The howling wind blew snow across a broken landscape. Bodies still littered the ground from the hasty retreat. Teams of soldiers were retrieving as many of the bodies as possible. A few of the teams had even gotten to the wall without being shot.

At last, Hideyoshi said, "Shinko, what's the status with Faita?"

"As we speak, we're persuading her to join our side," Shinko responded. Pushing off the ground, he looked to Hideyoshi with an uneasy smile. "It's slow going."

The lord gave a nod. "It's time to stop fighting like brutes and be wise men." To Shinko, he said, "Pressure that bandit. Make sure she is on our side." Hideyoshi turned to Menkonnen.

"Thank you, sir," said Shinko. He brushed the dust off his pants. "I will correct this mistake." That got a nod from both leaders, but Menkonnen stared at the wall. Shinko wondered if the two planned some terrible fate for Fenghua. He had come to respect that old demon; he feared what would happen to him if he was captured. Tough skin or not, anyone could be tortured.

* * *

Pain already rocked Fenghua as he walked down the stairs. Just as he reached the ground, Shouwie offered him a cup of tea. Accepting it, Fenghua drank. The warm liquid soothed his joints.

"How is the storing of the dead going?" asked the general.

"We are tucking them away as fast as possible, sir," the lieutenant said. "Slow work with all the pieces we have to gather."