As the sun began to set, casting long shadows of neighboring houses to the left, Haitao's group finally approached the city of Nta-tsua. An encounter with bandits had delayed their noon arrival, and now it was late evening. The boat slowly docked, and from their vantage point, the soldiers could already hear the lively chatter of villagers on the street.
Haitao directed, "After we disembark, the rest of you head to the first tavern on the pier to rest. Chinua, Khunbish, Khenbish, and I will escort this bandit to prison."
Od handed the rope, still binding Drystan, to Khunbish.
Haitao continued, "When we're finished, we'll meet you back at the pier. Erden, Terbish, you two start looking for Captain Taban."
Once the boat docked, Timicin paid the boatman. Haitao led the way, with Chinua, Khunbish, Khenbish, Khawn, and Drystan following him toward the courthouse.
As they approached a stall selling cosmetics, Drystan smiled. "Before you send me to jail," he drawled, "why don't we stop by and see what she's selling?"
Chinua didn't look at Drystan. Instead, she addressed Khunbish: "Khunbish, if he speaks again, cut out his tongue."
Khunbish met Drystan's gaze. "Yes, Chinua," he affirmed gravely.
Drystan looked at Khunbish with an odd expression. "Why do you listen to everything she says?" he probed.
Khenbish warned, "You'd better keep quiet. Chinua is a woman of her word. I advise you not to test her patience."
Drystan was about to speak again, but they had already arrived at the courthouse. Haitao addressed one of the two guards at the gate. A moment later, a well-dressed officer emerged from the building and greeted Haitao.
Haitao took the binding belt from Khunbish and handed it to a guard. "We left in such a hurry," he explained, "that we forgot to tell the village chief there were bodies on the mountain road. On our way here, we encountered a group of bandits who tried to rob us. Tomorrow morning, please send someone to Dav Village and inform the village chief."
"Thank you, Captain Haitao, for bringing in this long-wanted bandit," the officer said. "Tomorrow, I'll send someone to notify the village chief of Dav."
Haitao stressed, "This bandit is no ordinary criminal. You must lock him up immediately and do not listen to a word he says. Given the chance, he will try to escape."
"I see," the officer replied, nodding gravely.
Just as the soldiers turned to leave, Drystan's voice cut through the air. "Chinua! Wait!"
Chinua turned to face Drystan. "What is it?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Drystan reached into his belt, pulled out a small wooden box, and tossed it at Chinua. He smiled. "A meeting gift," he said.
Chinua opened the lid, revealing two smaller boxes inside. "What are these?" she asked, puzzled.
"Inside is what a woman should use," Drystan replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
The officer firmly pushed Drystan toward the courthouse entrance. "Enough talk," he snapped.
Chinua watched as the officers dragged Drystan into the courthouse. She then slowly opened the larger wooden box, and indeed, found two smaller boxes within. Opening one, she discovered a vibrant red powder inside. She turned to Khunbish. "What are these?" she asked.
Khunbish shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted.
"What about you?" Chinua asked Khenbish. "Do you know?"
Khenbish also shook his head, looking equally perplexed.
Haitao looked at Chinua with a smile. "Though he's a bandit, it was quite considerate of him to give you such a gift." He patted Chinua's shoulder lightly. "Let's regroup with the others now."
Chinua tucked the box into her robe, then followed Haitao, Khunbish, Khenbish, and Khawn towards the pier.
Muunokhoi approached a table and placed a jug of water on it. He slid a medicine bag towards Och. "The doctor said you should change the medicine every two days," he instructed.
Och picked up the medicine bag and tucked it into his inner robe. "Thank you," he said with a grateful smile.
Muunokhoi scanned the area. "Where are Erden and Terbish?" he asked.
"They're looking for Captain Taban," Od replied. He then looked up. "Here comes Erden now."
Erden stopped at the table. "We found Captain Taban and his crew," he announced. He looked around. "What about the Captain and the others? Have they arrived yet?"
"They haven't arrived yet," Timicin confirmed.
"Let's wait for them, then," Erden suggested.
"Where is Captain Taban and his men?" Timicin inquired.
"Outside the village," Erden explained, "they're with other southern captains."
"Where's Terbish?" Od asked.
"He's buying water bags for us, on Captain Taban's suggestion," Erden said, turning as Terbish ran towards them, laden with several leather water bags.
Terbish sat down, placing the water bags on the table. He frowned. "I walked all over the market, and only found six. That's not enough for all of us."
"At least we have some," Muunokhoi pointed out. "We can share. One water bag for two people."
"I agree," Och said, nodding. He looked up, spotting Chinua, Khunbish, Khenbish, Haitao, and Khawn walking towards them. "Captain and the others are here!"
Haitao walked over and surveyed the empty table. He frowned. "Why haven't you ordered anything?"
"Captain Taban said they had food ready for us," Terbish explained, "that's why we didn't order anything."
Haitao tapped Terbish lightly on the head. "Do you really want to eat roasted potatoes?"
"I don't want roasted potatoes," Och grumbled. "Me either," the others muttered in agreement.
Haitao turned, about to leave, but Timicin stopped him. "Where are you going?" Timicin asked.
"Before we leave, we're eating some good food," Haitao declared, heading into the tavern.
By the time the group of eleven arrived at the soldier camp, it was late evening. They were greeted by Taban, a man in his late twenties, noticeably darker and shorter than the rest of his crew.
Taban smiled. "Captain Haitao, let's eat." He led the eleven-member team to the campfire, where roasted potatoes and frogs awaited. He sat down, looking at Haitao. "I honestly thought Captain Dawa would be accompanying us."
"Captain Dawa is very busy these days," Haitao explained with a smile, "and we have a lot of newcomers this year. Besides, we're the smallest group, so it's more convenient to go with you."
Chinua looked around the bustling camp. "Captain Taban, it seems there are quite a few soldiers here," she observed. "You mean, so many soldiers can't simply send food south?"
"We are traveling south," Taban confirmed, "but with a different destination."
"What do you mean by that?" Od pressed.
Taban explained, "Once we reach the southern border, everyone returns to their base camp. Our base is further south than the others. What we usually transport south is rice, weapons, and salt – goods highly coveted by bandits. This time, I had to request assistance because we have more supplies than usual."
"So you don't usually receive this much?" Chinua pressed.
Taban shook his head. "No, usually we don't get this much," he said. "I was quite surprised when I saw five thousand bags of salt and ten thousand bags of rice."
Chinua's mind raced. That amount—five thousand bags of salt and ten thousand bags of rice—was what was supposed to be sent to Mönkhbat's camp every three months. The discrepancies puzzled her. "Generally, how much do you receive every three months?" she asked.
"We usually receive two thousand bags of rice and three hundred bags of salt," Taban confirmed.
Chaghatai asked, "How many people are in the camp at the South Gate?"
"Twenty thousand elite soldiers," Chinua gritted through clenched teeth.
Khunbish quickly gripped Chinua's right hand. "Chinua," he whispered urgently.
"You mean," Och clarified, "twenty thousand soldiers have only two thousand bags of rice for a three-month period?"
"We forage and supplement our rations as well," Taban added, looking weary.
When Chinua learned that Mönkhbat's army, which should have been the Hmagol's most well-fed troop, was struggling to survive in the south, a furious rage ignited within her. She knew that the longer she stayed to hear Taban's story, the more likely she was to lose control of her anger. She abruptly stood up.
"I'm going to pee," Chinua muttered, walking away from the crowd of soldiers. Khunbish, Khenbish, and Khawn quickly followed her, sensing her distress.
Timicin made a move to get up, but Od gently held him down. "Khunbish and Khenbish are with her," Od reassured. "Don't worry."
Standing a short distance from the others, Chinua was so consumed by rage that she slammed her left hand into a tree trunk, twice.
Khenbish said gently, "Chinua… hurting yourself won't help General Mönkhbat with his supply problem."
Chinua spoke; her voice laced with fury. "Before we came, I personally checked the rations for all the southern bases. Third brother was supposed to have the most rations! Now, listening to Captain Taban, it sounds like among all the generals stationed in the south, he's received the least amount of supplies. Someone is playing tricks on Third brother. Someone wants to see him fail to defend the southern border!" She slammed her hand into the tree once more.
"The person responsible for distributing the rations is Prince Dzhambul's third uncle," Khenbish stated gravely.
Chinua hit the tree again, a deep frown creasing her brow. "What does he have to gain from this?" she demanded.
"One less competitor," a voice drawled. Hye slowly rose from the grass behind the trees, stretching languidly. He stood and yawned forcefully. "That's the life of a politician."
"Are you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Chinua demanded, her eyes narrowing.
Hye smiled lazily. "I wasn't eavesdropping," he countered. "I was sleeping here. You simply woke me with your loud conversation."
Khunbish's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. He looked at Chinua, then at Hye. "Chinua," he said, his voice firm, "give me your order."