The Tiny Emperor's Great Wall (Revised)

Chapter Nine

"Lieutenant, I think it is about time that we give our troops something to do." Taking his tea, he took a sip of it. Warm ginger with a hint of cinnamon. Humming in contentment, he gave Shouwie a thumbs-up of approval. "Once the storm is done, start drilling the troops."

"Drilling?" questioned Shouwie.

"No troops can sit around for long and not get rusty. So I want to set up a small group to perform basic tactics a few hours each day. Then I want to go through the camp and start cleaning a bit. People need to work and not think. Thinking is the enemy here."

"How so?"

"Do you want to think about the current chance of us winning?" demanded the general. A small, knowing frown crossed the lieutenant's face. "I thought not. Now, we—"

A light stinging, followed by a thud, hit the side of the general's head.

Yipping, Shouwie ducked behind cover. His hand went to the revolver on his hip.

Fenghua rubbed the side of his head. Warm blood tickled his palm. Not much, but it allowed him to wiggle a bullet free from his skull. Old age had weakened his skin, but it kept the bullet from going through his skull.

"Where did that come from?" Shouwie demanded.

Startled cries came down the wall. Blood blossomed from his soldiers. Hardly a second later, loud clicks came from the wall. Fenghua looked down at a grappling hook biting into the stone.

"We are under attack!" shouted the general. Ripping the hook off, he threw it over the wall. Screams tickled his ears. Cupping his mouth, he roared, "To battle stations."

Startled troops scrambled along the wall. Sounds of gunshots filled the air. Soldiers ran for cover as their blood ran across the stones.

Then came the sound of shoes scraping on stone. A shout from the lieutenant and a jab of the sword drew the general's attention to his right. Hopping over the wall, a black-skinned human charged. Like most humans in the middle of winter, he wore heavy wool clothing. Yet the general shivered at the mask covering his face. Never had he seen dark brown wood shaped like a real lion. Thoughtful placement of paint made the mouth and sharp eyes bold.

Whipping his semi-automatic pistol up, the human fired into the crowd. Cries called out as soldiers collapsed. One soldier drew his knife and lunged at the attacker. His knife sunk into the neck. A short-lived victory, for enemy troops were scrambling over the wall. Masks of tigers, bears, hyenas, jackals, and buffalo appeared. Most of the enemy humans ranged from light to dark skinned. One enemy soldier with hooves and fur on his legs landed by the general. She whipped a shotgun at the general, but the lieutenant charged her. His blade knocked the gun away before biting into an arm. Cling went the metal. Right under the coat, one could see a long, metal bar parallel to the arm.

Biting his lips, the general stayed back. His massive frame might knock his own troops down as well. Yet he hated exo-suits. The Alkebu-lan Empire boasted the most advanced technology in the world. This woman proved it as she shoved Shouwie back and opened fire on him. Yet the lieutenant morphed into a fox, darted to the right, then returned to humanoid form, his blade cutting up under the enemy soldier's armpit. Blood poured onto the wall. The enemy soldier tried to turn toward the general, but one quick shove from Shouwie sent her stumbling off the wall. A scream followed her down until a light thud silenced it.

"Sir!" shouted the lieutenant. "Are you all right?"

The general rubbed his arm, which a couple pellets of buckshot had managed to hit. They stung, but not much. Turning to the south, he folded his lower arms behind his back. His upper one kept on serving him tea.