[h2]Sü[/h2]

The old soldier sat over the table, his legs cross over each other, the tops of his rounded knees angled over the table. The ground was stiff but warm under his buttocks. The small wooden home smelled lousy of pork and spices from a morning of cooking and preparing breakfast. Now the soldier's wife was in the next room, preparing the left-overs to be used further in lunch and ultimately dinner.

Dressed in loose fitting robes and a dropping brown sash that ran over the shoulder and down to the hip the soldier looked like a pauper in good care. He mid-life now, late into his thirties. But he was also going along fast. Sun had baked his skin dark and hard, shrinking it against a wide bony face. His eyes looked down a the wooden plate with globs of white sticky rice mixed with cuts of cut and stone-friend pork mixed in. A few coins worth of cut greens lay to the side, undisturbed as bit by bit the man shoveled away pieces of rice with his fingers. His tongue ran across his long thin lips, cleaning off anything that got trapped there or in the beard that was already beginning to run the signs of late age with witheringly white strands in places. He kept it otherwise clean and trim, it followed a wide jaw-line and continued those lines until it met with a sharp spade tip.

There was a knock from the door, stirring the man on the floor to look up. He eyes, perhaps small for his head turned up and he called in a raspy voice, “Who is it?”

“Nyutien,” a voice from the other side yelled, “You wanted to discuss some things with me?”

Yu Fung nodded knowingly. A bit of pressure he didn't know he was with-holding released and he sighed as he stood up, taking the wooden plate with him. He went to the door, and opened it. Greeting their village officer with a bow. “Nyutien.” the commander of Sü's watch said as if addressing a casual friend.

“I didn't both you, did I?” asked Nyutien.

“Hardly, I sometimes expect to be bothered by someone when I'm eating. It's the time people often spring this on me. Come, we'll talk up-stairs.” Yu invited, leading Nyutien in.

Yu Fung's home was old, but not the century old amalgam building that was the sort of structures commanded by Nyutien, reflecting a growing entrenchment and prestige in the old families such as himself, those old iron-wood central trucks of a great crawling fig. As true as the comparison is could be called, there were plenty of Bang houses, or individuals related to scattered through Sü's farmlands. But there were hardly any Fung's.

Yu Fung's father migrated to the village from the west. The story was that he was pursued for high-crimes in the Empire in the far distant horizon. But he had run so far that they had ceased to chase him. Fungyen, Yu's father settled himself in Sü, and then garnered notoriety when on a hunting trip he had not just returned with a small deer, but two native wives. Both he took as concubines as sorts. One died young, only sixteen during childbirth; her offspring died stillborn. But Fungyen did mourn her and instead impregnated the other local girl, who may have been nearer to her twentieth year, she bore two children before she was overcome with depression and drowned herself.

The mixed blood helped to explain Yu's complexion, where others were more olive in complexion, near to a faded lemon yellow at times Yu was from the womb a darker boy.

The simplicity of the home unit was as well a sign of a less than prestigious heritage. It was modest, un-decorated, and naked in the walls. There hadn't been an interest to finish the wood even, and it stood as graying as an older stable. The wood creaked under the two mens' feet as they ascended the narrow wooden steps, barely wide enough to accept a man facing forward. Nyutien's clothes brushed along the walls as he followed his chief to more private rooms.

“As I told you, we're having problems.” Yu said as they made it to the second landing, “Usually I wouldn't care much if farmer's and frontiersmen weren't complaining. These don't usually come up as often as to be irritating and they don't often leave behind blood.”

“Did someone get killed?” Nyutien asked, worried.

Yu stopped and turned to him, sucking off a few grains of rice sticking to his fingers. Usually, this would irritate Nyutien, but he had to hold himself back from a man known to be insufferably angry, and who was the best wrestler in the village. “No.” he answered, “But Nyun is stuck trying to reset a few bones, dig an arrow out of someone's thigh, and has another man who hasn't woke up from a long sleep. He had to patch the later's head with clay and cotton and hope he doesn't spill his brains.

“I've had five incidents brought to me this passed week alone.”

“Why haven't I been told earlier?” Nyutien demanded. This was clearly not a minor event.

“I was waiting to see if they die down.” Yu admitted dismissively, “besides, the last three were sprung fast. They managed to make off with a cow.”

Nyutien was flustered with agitation. “So what do you need?” he asked.

“Men, weapons, and fire.” Yu requested, continuing their walk, “I'll burn them out of the woods and bring the entire tribe responsible to town as slaves.”

“I can not risk that!” Nyutien nearly shouted, “You don't even know who is responsible. I can't met your demands unless I know what and who is doing this.”

“Force is going to be the only way to put them in their place.” Yu grumbled. He was maybe right, he had more experience as well hunting and taking on hostile or interloping groups before. But he was also rash, and needed to be restrained. And already Yu's dark face was glowing red with anger.

The two entered a room at the far end of a narrow hall, and Yu sat; throwing his plate onto the ground and promptly leaned over it to eat, craning his neck up like that of a crow. His long black hair dropped down to his shoulders.

“I will let you pursue them.” Nyutien said, and the wrath in Yu's face ebbed. Then Nyutien added the clincher: “But only to probe them. I don't want a direct fight. Meanwhile I want preventative measures here around the village; a wall.”

“A wall?” Yu snorted, “I'm sure they won't be able to climb it. But if I'm going to be “probing” I doubt that we'd have a wall up before I provoke something more. It's not as simple as that.”

“And how is it not that simple?” Nyutien asked.

Yu took a minute to chew through more food before entertaining the response: “Ignoring them clearly will mean they continue as-is, looting us. Probing means we may anger them and they'll attack us. Our only choice is to eliminate them wholly.”

Nyutien sat silent, watching Yu sloppily eat away. Then looked out the window. He looked back at him and said: “You don't even know where they are, do you?” he asked.

Yu looked up from his food. “I'll find out.” he said mumbling.

“So make it part of  your tracking.” Nyutien said, “But in the mean time I want your men to help me build a wall.”

Yu grumbled incoherently for a minute. Sucked on his fingers as he starred at a corner in thought. Then admitted: “Alright.”

“So we have a deal.” Nyutien acknowledged with a relieved nod, “I will get things together soon. I expect you'll start picking out men to prowl the jungles then.”

“This afternoon.” Yu grumbled.

“Very well, thank you for the audience.” Nyutien said as he rose, bowing.