514 Men with Machetes. (1/2)
There was a group of swordsmen that carried machetes and knew how to intimidate others. They were also eloquent and intelligent. Even so, they still could not find stable jobs, because they were too smart for their own good and always on the move.
Basically, they were all talk, no action.
To them, fighting was more like a game. Two parties competed against each other showing off their machete skills and trash talking. The party with the better performance won the game. The loser, if they obeyed the rules, left willingly, accepting the outcome publically after the game was over.
However, if they met any aggressive foes who were willing to fight to the death, they would run away immediately, even if they outnumbered the enemy.
These soldiers were independent, and never worked for any one organization for very long. They joined or left organizations freely. As they never actually fought against others with their sabers (as their swords were just for show), they were widely known as the ”Men with Machetes”.
”Life means everything,” was their motto.
The Men with Machetes needed money to support themselves, and there were people willing to hire them. Their purpose for hiring these men was just to show off their strength, not to actually fight.
Unfortunately, the employers were rare. Therefore, the Men with Machetes had to pretend to be swordsmen just to get jobs.
War was supposed to be a good opportunity for swordsmen, and Golden Roc Fort had lowered their requirements for new recruits. They had alreay taken in almost half of the swordsmen in the Western Region. Even inexperienced, young lads who had never held a saber could join them. However, they refused the Men with Machetes.
Like swordsmen, the Men with Machetes carried their sabers. Their real identities would only be exposed in a fight, when it became obvious that they had no battle skills. So, inexperience employers were fooled by them often. These employers paid the Men with Machetes, but did not get any protection when they were in danger.
Bodyguards in Jade City volunteered to provide the identities of the Men with Machetes to Golden Roc Fort. They were willing to help the Supreme King keep these spineless, cowardly Men with Machetes out of the Golden Roc Army so as not to ruin the entire army.
Although the Men with Machetes were outraged and insulted by this, they did not dare to complain openly.
The Men with Machetes all had one thing in common -- they liked and believed gossip. One day, they heard the rumor that several of the kingdoms would have a shortage of soldiers for guarding the capital gates after Golden Roc Army entered Xiaoyao Lake. This job would be easy, and the requirements to get hired were simply being a man with a saber.
The Men with Machetes made up their minds to try for the jobs while sitting together in a small tavern, asked the manager for their bills, and left. A few of them gathered together and headed for Xiaoyao Lake. They followed the main force of the Golden Roc Army on the way there. By the time they arrived at the capital of the Hui Kingdom, their numbers had grown to a little over 200.
However, they did not get the jobs they sought. In his youth, Shangguan Jianyi had fought together with Shangguan Fa to clear the hooligans from the streets, so he knew all about the Men with Machetes. He would rather hire 50 or 60 year old farmers than accept these outcasts.
The Men with Machetes were in a desperate situation. They had not brought much money with them to Hui City, and what little they had was already gone. They had no money to return to Jade City.
After their departure, the managers of the taverns in Jade City were very relieved. It wasn't long before the managers of the taverns in Hui City realized that the Men with Machetes were penniless. Eventually, they made a rule for the Men with Machetes: no credit.
One night, a few dozen of the Men with Machetes bought a bottle of cheap liquor together. They played games in low spirits. Half of them couldn't afford any liquor at all.
Most of the other soldiers were fighting in battle. The Men with Machetes were the only male guests in the tavern at the time.
”We can't continue to live like this,” shouted one of the Men with Machetes angrily (for he had not been able to afford any liquor at all). He pounded on the table violently and stood up, putting on a good performance.
”You're right. We have sabers, just like the swordsmen. Why do they deserve to live a luxurious life while we have to fight for liquor here?” asked one of the other men.
”The Golden Roc Army didn't accept us, and look what became of them -- they lost the battle,” the first man said.
The Men with Machetes became angrier and angrier. According to them, the Golden Roc Army had lost the battle solely because they had not been allowed to join.
”Why didn't you join the Dragon Army?” someone asked.
”Why? Because we never take a loser's side, even if we get handsome rewards,” they all responded. They had never even considered joining the Dragon Army.
But to their surprise, the Dragon Army won the battle. The Men with Machetes regretted their decision a lot. They even blamed some of their friends for talking them out of joining the Dragon Army.
Then, they started to talk about the Dragon Army. They were only interested in how much money the soldiers could make, not the battle itself.
”I heard that the Dragon King is so selfish that he keeps all the money to himself,” one of the men said.
”You idiot. He used to be selfish. He didn't put much money in the battle because he thought he would lose. But now he's won the battle and claimed a huge fortune from the Golden Roc Army. If he didn't give some of it to the soldiers, no one would follow him,” replied another.
They imagined a scene in which the soldiers of the Dragon Army were dividing the spoils.
”Is it too late to join the Dragon Army now?” one of the men asked.
”The war is over, so there's no use joining now. How can you get paid if you don't fight on the battlefield?” someone else answered.
”No one said that the war was over. The Golden Roc Army is escaping, and the Dragon Army is pursuing them. Everyone knows it,” another of the men argued.
No one responded. The Men with Machetes were all thinking the same thing: ”Pursuing the defeated army is dangerous, and that goes against our rules.”
”I have an idea. We can not only serve the Dragon King while remaining safe, but also take revenge on the Golden Roc Army,” one of the men said, suddenly.
”Tell us, and hurry,” the others begged.
”The bridge isn't far from here. Both the southern and northern shores set up checkpoints. Luckily, these checkpoints are guarded by timid, local soldiers. We can easily scare them away and take the bridge. As long as we don't let the Golden Roc Army pass for several days, they can't cross Xiaoyao Lake, and their entire army will be annihilated. Don't you think it would impress the Dragon King, and get us a big reward?” he said.
The Men with Machetes were lost in thought again. This time, they were thinking about this new idea.
”Let's do it,” they all agreed.
The Men with Machetes pulled out their sabers and banged them on the table violently. Then, they rushed out of the tavern suddenly, deciding to take the bridge and get revenge on the Golden Roc Army right away.
They were too excited to even notice which man had originally proposed the idea.
In Jade City, the experienced tavern managers were not scared by their exaggerated behavior. Rather, they watched them quietly, and sold the information they collected from the men to whomever wanted it.