The Strategist
Maximilian Ho , Group 3: Fiction, Zhuhai International School
he red sun revealed the escaping steam. I watched the small droplets join and reappear on the sides of
the bowl, clear and pure. The scent of the broth made me dizzy. I did not have an appetite.
Exactly 1 year and 84 days from today, I had found my father dead. It had been a shock to
find that his death coincided with my arrival at the Wall. Heaving the heavy load of bricks on my back,
I had still recognized my father lying motionless on the floor with a pool of blood flowing from his
head. I dared not react, knowing it would have only resulted in whipping. Some of the workers were still
looking down from the top of the wall. His jump had been recent.
That night, when most were asleep, I sneaked in to the shadows, a layer of dirt concealing me. A few
men patrolled the area but did so rather wearily, not bothering to look left or right. Returning to my hometown a
few hours later, I took a wheelbarrow on the street and piled the bags of rice that I had sneaked out from the
local farmers in our town. The ultimate cause of my father’s death and countless others’ had been the Emperor;
and I had exactly the plan to end him.
I went around the town, subconsciously taking turns and stopping. I then passed the temple where I was
often compelled to go to pray. I could still smell the burning incense, a scent I loved much. I believe it had been
associated with family reunions in the past. Such events we had no more. Turning left from a bumpy road, I
exited the town into a grassless stretch of sand.
I continued moving, my senses on alert, not a trace of fatigue in me. As the sun rose, I spotted tents,
horses and people moving about 500 meters North-East. I could keep track of many things at once, a talent I was
born with. Cautious not to be registered as an enemy, I slowly approached the nomads, expressionless. I waited
for them to question me.
As expected, a tall man wrapped in a wolf coat with a long, shaggy beard approached, “What are you
doing here?”
“
I would like your help,” I replied, and showed them my rice, “I believe you will also like mine.”
He took out his metal knife, a weapon I knew he polished at least once a day. “Poison,” he snarled.
“
Wait. You can trust me. Just like you, I want to kill the Emperor and end his reign of misery and pain,”
I replied, keeping a face of stone. “If you would let me join your legion, I could present talents that would prove
most helpful to you.”
“
Such as what? Can you fight?”
“
I do not fight. I observe and plan,” I responded. “I am a strategist.”
“
We are of no need of a child like you.”
“
Surely, that would be your first thought. What if I told you your greatest fear is drowning, you have 3
brothers and you are the village’s best archer?”
The Mongol let out a look of awe before recovering his serious face. He stared at me and I countered
back unblinking. ‘Who are you?’ he commanded.
“
Just a child with a longing for justice.”
Once again, we engaged in a stare-off, I as solid as rock.
The man furrowed his brow and then relaxed, strapped back his knife and said. “Come in, we will
accept your rice,” with an inviting gesture.
And so I joined the Nomads and the rice fed us for 36 days. With their bellies filled, I was asked to be
their leader. Now here I am staring at the setting sun, 1 year and 84 days since my father’s death, and ready to
attack.
I called my men to join me and relax before darkness fell upon us. I had been waiting for this day a
long time. It rarely rained at night. We sat there until not a ray of light was visible and then we were off.
We rode our horses North East, my men knowing that the lives of their families lay in their hands. The
Emperor had refused to trade with them, forcing them to scour the desert for food. As for me, I did not have a
family to worry about anymore.
I had already reviewed the plan with my troops. I stopped and the others followed. Although we could
not see the Wall, I knew it was just ahead. We left our horses and choked our fires. It began drizzling, just as I
had predicted. We crawled to the Wall until we were just outside our opponents’ vision. The Wall had already
been completed in the time that I was away. A cruel feat, I thought. No doubt more tears were leaked than
sweat perspired during my absence. I signaled to my men to take out their weapons. Arrows at the ready, we
planned to take all the generals out in one shot. I swiped my hand through the air and 10 thuds followed. The
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