7.
Centurion
We are given proper places to rest and also a place to train the army. Its an old villa in the fortress large enough for us. The Decanus took care of their basic needs while I planned the next moves with the Optio. Both of us has been observing the two sides exchanged messages with emissaries running back and forth. The Han is at our door step They moved to within 3 Li of our fortress and had fortified themselves with their camps. We are trapped inside with the Han outside.
Its a matter of time for the war to start. But till then, we would train and be better than ever before.
"Centurion, the Lady Peng Rei would like to see you. She asked me to tell you she would await you at the Lilac Garden this afternoon." I dismissed the lackey who brought the message. This is to be our first meeting since that day in the Hall.
"Good afternoon, Centurion. Please be seated." She indicate to the seat at the pavilion next to the Lilac Pond. I can see she speaks Parthians as well. We picked it up during our captivity and our sojourn as mercenaries.
"Lady Peng Rei. We meet again."
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I walked the corridor in my chains dressed in the toga that we Roman's used to wear, escorted by the guards to her room. This is the sixth time she has asked for me. I was led to the bathhouse earlier to wash the grime and dirt off my body. Now I am clean, she asked me to be brought to her. We entered her chamber and there she is standing by the window overlooking the plains. The villa we are on is high on the hills and overlooked the plains. I can see the stars are out tonight and it looked lovely. The guards unlatched my locks and removed the chain. They left me with her alone. They closed the door and I can hear them walking away. The sounds of the steps fade away. She must had heard them as she turned to walk to me. She stand before me a head shorter than me.
"We have less than a night. Shall we begin?" She is dis-robing and revealing her body to me.
Our night is short but its sweet and satisfying. Not many knows her as the close friend of the Parthians' and she is a slave trader. She supply them Han people as slaves for the mines. No one knows as she is masked when she is here. But that one time she saw me, she asked for me. Lady Peng Rei has a fetish for the pain and bondage. I share mine with her. She need not seek others to sort out her desire.
But I escape with her help. She gave me the plans and bought some of the guards. It was our first mass escape and we did it with a hundred over of us. We also found the old uniforms and weapons for us as told. My uniform and weapons were laid in order for me like it was my wife who did it for me then in Rome.
How I missed her. And our moments of love. It would never be the same. I developed a new fetish.
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"Han are near. I could plan for your escape but not of the army of yours. Would you be prepared to leave with me?" She is looking at me. The same looks I seen as in my days when I was a captive. She always think she is in command and every one follows.
"No, I would not. This time I would stand and fight like my own."
She slapped my face with her open palm. I draw her to me and kissed her. She bit me on my lips drawing blood and sucked the blood out. I pushed her off me. I rubbed the spot she bit me. It does not hurt but more of pleasure.
Lady Peng Rei
The rat thinks he is out of the cage with his armor and army, but he does not know as easily as I helped him, I can also entrap him again. Just his blood that I taste in my lips is mine to keep. I won't spat it out as I relish the taste of his. As I used to taste him before.
"Centurion, you do not know the war would soon be over. There are not ten thousand army out there but more; to be exact twenty five thousand against the two thousand here. That includes your men. I know you said there are more but I only count warriors not peasants and woman."
"Lady Peng Rei, we been over numbered yet we lose so what is the difference if we are under numbered. We seek our life as Legionnaire and what better way than to end as one."
"Fools! You all are fools!" She turned her back and walked away from me. "Centurion, mark my words. Your death would be the hardest."
I laughed at her threat. Whoever wants me would be facing one tough fight but dying is not a possibility when with me. They mostly die instantly. I watched the lady leave me alone in the garden. I guess I won't be getting my bite on her today.
"Beware, Tall One. Whoever hurts my lady, I would do the same to that person."
I turned to the lady who spoke on my right. Its lady Kino, and I am not surprised that Lady Peng Rei' bodyguard would not be far from her. Those nights, she stood outside on the balcony when I made love with mistress.
I smiled at her and withdraw back to my camp.
Zhizhi
I send out several hundred cavalry and infantry, but they were driven back. Of the three hundred I sent, only half returned as I needed to know the reactions of the enemy. But the Chinese followed on with five thousand men and attacked the fort on the Eastern wall. I was there to see the battle as they hold their army before the wall. The enemy archers loose their arrows with flaming heads on the wall.
The Han are burning my wall and the people are trying douse the flame. I was told there would be only ten thousand, but now I counted more than twenty thousand. This is absolutely crazy as I am out numbered ten to one. I must consult the adviser for guidance.
"Send me the Scholar Kang H." But the soldiers tell me he left with some horsemen from the other wall.
"The idiot runs from me. I would have his head one day. His head! That I promised to myself."
"Chieftain, the fire is doused and the enemy withdrew. Do we mount an attack?" I did not bother to answer the officer. He is a foll to think I would send out more men to die.
Decanus Franco
"Repel those archers! Keep them down. Fire your arrows at them. You there, douse that flame." I point to the arrow which is embedded on the ground. The new recruit went over and stepped on it. The fool forgot his wooden rectangle shield. It should be on his back like the three arrows now which are on his back and neck. The fool forget the basic training.
Damned it! They asked for our metal shields and yet they cannot learned to hold it well. I hoped that will tell others why we needed a large shield like ours. It helps to keep our butts from being shot at sometimes.
"Place those archers to the wall. Shoot at their leaders." I am pushing the defender archers to the wall. They need to be pushed as they are scared. Their officers are laying dead over the wall. They are the lucky ones to be caught in the first wave. We save the wall but we lost some fifty archers of our allies and some of my men.
But I know the war is about to begin. But on seeing the enemy, I wondered if its worth staying.
"Get me Decanus Marco. We got things to discuss." The recruit ran as if his life belongs to it. Actually it does and so is mine.
Decanus Marco
"Hold the gate! Close it once when they are through."The horsemen cam rushing in and some of them are laid on their saddles like they were injured. Some are as I can see the arrows on their back.
"Close the gate!" They did as I told them so. Then one of them shouted.
"One more outside."
I signaled my men to come forth. I picked up ten man and told to get ready.
"Open the gate. We are going out to rescue the man." Their officer protested for us to go out but I pushed the short man aside. We marched out with our pilum and shields. Once we cleared the gate, we moved forward without fear towards the enemy. They are a distance away and made no attempt to attack us although we are few. Maybe they are wondering who in the right mind would do like us. We reached the horseman who was trapped under the horse body.
"Form the 'Testsuro' now. We need to protect the man."
The enemies horsemen starts to approached but ever slowly. I looked at the fallen horseman and see that he is unhurt but his horse is dead.
"Can you move?" He nodded back. I pulled him to his feet and asked him get behind my men. "Do not run, Walk with us."
We move the horse man inside the 'Testsuro'. We backed up slowly up with the enemy horsemen still a distance away. They may try for us but our 'Testsuro' is impenetrable to their charges. They may have seen us in action as they are keeping their distance. We made it to the gate and the archers came to action from above. They showered the horsemen with their arrows causing them to withdraw as we slipped into the city.
"Its the Scholar Kang Hu." The officers took him away and I was relieved none of my men died for that attempt. But the man we rescued was soon to hang over the wall with his neck in the rope.
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