A Time Traveller's Guide to Feudal Japan

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Soon, Morojo and the people he had hired were gathered, and they were marching out of the battered city gates with an army of two hundred cattle. There were likely over a thousand beasts that could have been purchased, but it felt wasteful to purchase them all.

The Governor and the captain watched on, shaking their heads. The people may have been bought by this Red Feather man, but they were not sold. Even if he professed to be a man fighting for the cause of the people, they did not believe him, and would not commit themselves to fully trusting him.

But none of that mattered. They were insectile concerns when compared with the threat of the army ahead. The troops were gathered in formation, having completed their day's training, and they stood awaiting their commander's orders.

"These city walls are not fit for men of your calibre to defend. Our man Morojo has set out with the city's people to get some timber, so we might improve the defences a little, but before those new, worthy defences can be put up, the old pieces have to be taken out." Gengyo spoke, with Jikouji at his side. "Merely disposing of rotten wood is not a job fitting for the warrior class though, is it? That is the type of thing the peasantry should spend their time doing. And so, my brothers, this task has been assigned to you as an extension of your training. Observe."

He drew his sword slowly, imagining it to be a spear. He spun it around in his wrist a few times, refamiliarizing himself with its weight, before he sucked in a deep breath, and assumed a more ready stance. The men had their eyes firmly pinned to him, watching and waiting to be taught.

He swung down with a powerful force. So powerful in fact, that he was swept from his feet, as he spun around in the air, and kicked out with his legs, before rereading himself to strike once more. All this occurred within the window of milliseconds – the time in which it would take a normal strike to land.

"They called this Rage of the Demon Monkey. It's a technique that teaches young warriors to use their entire body when they strike. If your strike is powerful enough that the momentum can spin you fast enough so you do not fall, then you have mastered the essence of the sword strike."

The men listened intently, wide eyed as they nodded. The more experienced a warrior was, the more he realized the importance of the foundations. In just increasing the power of a single basic strike, he would increase the potency of his own sword style.

"As you kick down the above arrow cage, do so with your swords, and practise this strike. If there is a man who is able to master it before the end of the day, then his efforts will be rewarded."

"HA!" They paid their respects to his words as one, as they slammed their feet down, full of fire, and burning with determination.

"Good." He nodded with approval, before turning to Jikouji. "Let's get this show on the road, then."

They'd constructed their own ladders to get the men on the wall, after the events of the previous day. They ascended rather hastily, and began their efforts as soon as they were able.

It must be understood that this was a town. It was an incredibly large area of land, and so the walls that encompassed it were long indeed. There was a good deal of cage that needed to be dealt with, and even with the full force of the Red Feather employed, it would take a while.

Soon they were spinning and slashing at the wood in front of them, casting it to the ground. The vast majority of them landed flat on their backs as they threw themselves in an attempt to master this technique. 

Some of the poorer villagers – who were weak and unable to work – made their way outside the city walls, and like vultures they snatched up whatever pieces of fallen wood they could get their hands on, so that they could stockpile a sizeable enough collection to keep their families warm.

"Mm… It's proceeding well enough indeed." Gengyo mused, watching them work. "Ah, Jikouji, we had best begin sending scouts out, so that we are not caught off guard when that larger force inevitably arrives."

Jikouji smiled at that. "Already ahead of you lad. Started sending some of the men a good few miles out, twice a day, just to make sure everything is in order."

"Anything?"

"Nothing yet."

"Good. As long as they're not too overeager in their advance, we should be prepared enough for their coming, and have a reasonable chance at defending them."

"What about once they're here though lad?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, past improvements to the defences and building cannons, what can we really do in order to repel such a sizeable force. They could be ten thousand strong, what then?"

"Haha…" In response to Jikouji's anxiety Gengyo chuckled. He glanced to the side, and could see Akiko looking up at him with round eyes as well, wishing to know the answer to this question. The true solution to the problem that faces them. He tapped the shoulder of his old friend, and pointed towards the forest in the distance. "It's a beautiful world that we've been brought into, old man. A world where trees can grow so tall, and so green. Where grass can cover fields, and the sun can rise so high, and warm us so gently."

Jikouji frowned at his calmness. "I do appreciate that, but appreciating the world around us doesn't exactly give us an edge in the battle to come."

"The thing – old Jikouji – is, that we do not know what will come. We do not know the true extent of the forces we will face. We do not know how they will attack us. In looking after our defences, we have done all we can do. It is counterproductive to worry in between. There are too many little things to think of. Too many variables that might change. So many that one could say it's impossible to predict the outcome at all. And so, in worrying, we change nothing."

"…Are you quoting one of your monk friends, lad? It does seem like decent advice if you're looking for inner peace. But there's a battle coming up. A bit of worry is probably to be expected, don't you think?"

Gengyo smiled peacefully in reply, his heart still, and unwavering. "I will let you in on a little secret, Jikouji. In building these defences, and in training our men, and in achieving all we have until now, I know that we have done everything that we possibly could. And so, with this battle coming up, and with the odds so stacked against us that we should be trembling in our boots, I do not feel fear. I do not feel anxiety. I do not feel the need to worry. In fact, I'm looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to it?" Jikouji and Akiko repeated in unison, their voices tainted by disbelief.

"I am. As we wait for the battle to unfold, I will not push myself, or the men. We will relax, contented that we have done all we could do. And when the day comes, we will wake up, refreshed and eager, focused, fully in the present. In that state – I'm sure you're both familiar with it – there is very little that will be able to get past us."

Both the old man and the young woman looked at each other. They knew there to be wisdom in Gengyo's words, but as desperately as he tried to explain it, they were unable to feel the same peace that he felt. The worry and dread was still there, and so he spoke once more.

"Do not worry that you are worrying, because that will only make the worrying worse. Accept what is, and how you are currently feeling. I'm not sure if what I'm saying makes sense, or even whether it is true. But do make sure that you both get sufficient rest. This battle will be unlikely to end in a single day. I need you both to be in your best condition."

"You're a proper monk now… Sometimes I forget that. But aye. I will try and listen to your words, but I can't promise anything. I think the men and I will feel better training than we would staying idle, with the battle on our minds."

Gengyo nodded his understanding. "I think you are likely right in that. It was perhaps a little too optimistic of me to hope that they would be able to get complete undisturbed rest. Just make sure that you do not push yourselves too hard in your training, and leave some in the tank for the battle to come."