“I must admit, Ichimaru. Nice work”, Kumari said, standing over the top of a hill from which he had a full view of what he expected to be the place of his last fight with those bandits.
On the previous two months, Oda had led the troops, reinforced by the soldiers that came from the north, and wiped out the fields of the enemy’s presence. The quick struggles had forced the bandits to regroup and seek shelter into a forest, where they could hide and ambush any patrols that adventured into it. It was Ichimaru’s strategy that drew them out of the woods, forcing them to build a small fortification around an abandoned village, where they were now surrounded.
“You’re still going to explain me how a dog demon can recruit the help of wolves”, Kumari said.
“It wasn’t that hard. I just convinced them that I could aid them against a common enemy. Besides, if you must know, I have wolf demon blood in my veins. It’s what gives me this wild charm that drives women crazy.”
Kumari ignored the humorous commentary and waited for Oda to finish climbing the hill. He bowed down deeply, calm as always, in opposition to his lord’s worried face.
“Where do we stand, Oda?”
The samurai explained that they faced an enemy that wouldn’t be easily defeated. Although the young lord’ forces surpassed it in numbers, most of his men were inexperienced peasants, and they faced well-equipped and trained mercenaries. Besides, there was the matter of the palisade, and they had no siege engines to tear it down.
“They can’t stay behind those walls forever. They must not have enough supplies for more than a few weeks”, Kumari pointed.
“The problem, sir, is that it’s already harvest time, and they know it. The peasants in the militia are growing impatient. They want to go home soon, or they’ll lose a whole year’s work.”
Kumari sighed. It needed to end on that moment, but how?
“Our men can handle this”, Oda said. “If only we could get rid of that palisade, we could rely on our numeric advantage.”
“They would still be facing veteran soldiers. We need to break their discipline, too”, Kumari said, thoughtful, tapping his sword’s sheath. “Come on, Ichimaru, I want to take a closer look at that fort.”
