Lost Legion Part 5A

5.

Decanus Franco

"New recruits, Centurion. They came from the mountain range and they are strong men." I point to the fifty odd men standing there in formation.

"On whose orders are we recruiting? I did not order so this command." I think I know who would issue such a command.

"Optio. He asked me to review the men this morning and he said to take the lot. We need new men for the Cohort to be full strength, he said."

He saw the Optio walking towards us, so he pause my line of question.

"Tiber, what manner went to you to recruit more men without my knowledge? Answer me, man." He is upset at this man. The Optio must had used the gold we got from the trader to pay this men their first wages. Fifty gold pieces from our effort and that leaves not much left for the remaining men. Optio may think the golds come from the trees and even that is scarce here in this acrid land. I can tell the Optio is upset being addressed in that manner in front of me, but I care not for his feelings. Its my share of gold he is giving away.

"Its for the coming war, Centurion. We cannot be marching with less than a hundred of us. We would be laughed by them. How can we fight with a hundred?" Optio glared at him as he defends himself.

"Optio, I have not agreed to the task yet and you gone recruiting. The Chieftain Zhizhi is housed in a fortress built by himself with the local people in slavery. He has like about two thousand men with him, but his formidable fortress made him looks like he has twenty thousand behind it. He is recruiting now with his wealth undisclosed but I would say he may not have enough for a bigger army. Which is why I want to meet him before I agreed." The Centurion is disagreeable to the recruitment. The Option walked away while the Centurion looked to me.

"Get them to be a Legionnaire. And dropped the ones who cannot make it." The Centurion walked away and I am left alone with the fifty recruits. I walked up to them and holler into them like the dogs they are.

Decanus Marco

I smiled at my friend as he marched the men. He is ever the ambitious Legion bred, ever trying to hold the standard of the Legion. He could be the one who instigated the recruitment. I know he is one as always looking to out the shame out of the Legion. He wants his Fifth Cohort like before.

Well, I can't leave him alone to the task. I walked up to the Franco and joined him up. I may hate the Legion but I also like to train men more. The shouting and cursing at the men is what I like to do to released my frustration.

Optio

The man childed me in front of the men, and more to my insult in front of the new recruits. I done good for this bunch of rag tag army and he blames me for trying to recruit more.

How can we do battle with one hundred?

Does he think we are super warriors? That once fought and won the Goths? Yes, we are but we not the heroes. Its the Praetor who did us justice with the extra men and movements to ensure our success. It was never us the Fifth Cohort who was the best, the officers made us looked the best. They pulled us in to rescue the trapped or run over the obstacles with their commands.

Just as I would train the new recruits with my Decanus. They would be the best as I am their officer. Not the Centurion. He is only a label in the Cohort. I would made the Fifth Cohort mine.

Centurion

The idiot commits before we take the task. I know we cannot fight with a hundred or even a thousand as we are not ready for another major war. I would not had taken the task as the gold is not much but the Optio pushed my hand. We have to take the task now as we are to fight a war for ourselves and the needed golds. If only he asks me earlier, I would had focused on the Silk Road for more raids. I know Marco wants to go home to Rome and so did Franco. But I cannot give them that passage but maybe this war could do it. There are more to gold that can buy our passage.

But with death, they would return to Rome faster than any of us.

Lady Peng Rei

"You will be fine, Lady Kino. We can ride back to see the Chieftain and tell him of our success. The Legion will come in three weeks. They do not number big but their reputation justify their presence." I ride with pride on the success of my mission. I also ride with wonderment of the man who fought by my side as he is truly brave and skilled with his weapons. I would thank the Gods that he is coming as I would like to meet him again. He would be a good leader under my cousin leadership and they would bring great honor to his battles.

"Lady Peng Rei, on our return, I shall asked for your permission to discontinue our relationship as I would like to go back to my own home land to faced the clan's leader. Please forgive me." Lady Kino speaks to me as we both rode on the trail back to the fortress. I pulled up my rein on my horse and stopped it.

"Lady Kino, pray tell me I heard wrong. You cannot be leaving me now when I need you most. Please tell me I am wrong." But Lady Kino told me that she has to go back to her land, and redeemed her innocence from the Clan's leader. More so, she wants to see her son who is back in her village under her mother's care. I pleaded with her and she finally relented. She would go on to the end of the his war., if she survived.

Lady Kino

Little does the young lady knows of me, although I been with her for over a year now. Its a position which took time and patience to achieve but I did it as it part of my mission. I am a Han agent to infiltrate the Zhizhi's camp. I been one since I left my homeland upon murdering my husband, who was about to murder my son.

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"Mitsui, I begged of you spare his life. He is you son and our child. He knows not of your ambition and your other family. Why must he be sacrificed for the works of yours?" I stood with my back to my infant son. He is young and his father is holding a blade to removed his heart.

"She speaks to me that his death would ensure my heritage as the next leader. My father is eyeing him as his replacement and not me who is his own son. He sees me as a bastard and not worthy of his clan. If he dies, I would be his surviving son." I cannot believe the man would kill his own son for this. He is mad but he is still my husband. Although his heart belongs to another now. "Leave Sinei out of this. She is my love now and you are to die soon after our son."

He lunged at me with the blade above his head but he forgotten that he is facing one that is equally trained in the blade. In his drunken state, he is clumsy and stupid as he did not see me used my short blade to cut open his belly. Its a painful death but one of necessity in view of the crime he was to commit. A father who would kill his own son deserves no less than a painful death. I killed him in defence of the child, and now his grandfather seeks my life in return. The old man does not know of the son's deceit as I have the proof with me. I would showed it to him

I ran away that night with my son to my mother's place. I placed him in her care and left for the sea port. During the three days journey, I killed ten of my family clan members who were sent to hunt me down. I landed in this main continent and sold my services as I am skilled with. I have killed many; men and women but never a child.

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I became a paid assassin. Until I met Lady Peng Rei. I am saddened to complete my last task but its what I been paid to do. She does not know about the coming battle. Han forces of ten thousand strong will be here soon and they will make this Chieftain pay for his insolence. But I have a safe passage for you escape the battle.

I won't let you down.