Cao Ren tried to put the bandits behind him, burying them under a mental boulder like any other piece of unpleasant irrelevance. They stayed there when he was at home or in school or browsing the busy marketplace. When both Ren and his place in the world were safe. But country roads blurred into that same stretch where the farmer had met his end, and the surrounding wilderness seemed alive with the glares of malevolent watchmen.

According to the teachings, peace maintained itself within a well-structured government. People would live contentedly, going about their business with no reason for strife. Yet this lofty ideal did not hold up in practice. Soldiers were stationed in the more populous cities to quell the rare disturbance that overwhelmed the local authorities. In addition to his administrative duties, Father had instructed such men in the arts of horsemanship.

As days passed, this memory became an inspiration. Some discussion with trusted friends turned it into a plan.

Hong claimed to find enough trouble on his own, but Gai jumped in with both feet and a promise to round up some others for the cause. As their first meeting approached, Ren wondered how he ought to prepare. His basic ideas for training would only go so far. Though the group would be ready and willing, effective leadership required Ren to keep its respect. In this regard, his own experiences provided enough of an understanding to start with. The specifics would simply have to be sorted out as they came up.

Gai greeted Cao Ren with a most welcome surprise. Ren had expected his friend to bring a buddy or two. About ten farmer's sons had come along to join them, each carrying a long wooden pole. A dummy of stuffed sacks was tied to a tree, complete with a rough dot painted on the center.

Ren boggled, at a loss for words. Gai grinned. "I said I owed you one." He turned to his friends. "And here's the guy I was telling you about."

The group murmured and nodded, looking at Ren expectantly. He wished he would have brought some speech of introduction.

"I'm glad to meet all of you. My name is Cao Ren."

A mouse-faced boy spoke up. "Hu Xu."

Then one with a perpetual expression of surprise. "Fei Gong."

And so on until everyone had identified themselves. Ren would forget most of their names by the end of the afternoon, but at least some tension had been broken.

"We all know why we're here, so let's get to business. We have numbers. That's good. We have weapons. That's great. What we need now is practice."

Ren reached out to Gong, who handed over his pole. It made a fine improvised weapon - cheap, reasonably light, hefty enough to hurt if swung with sufficient force. The end could even be whittled into a point and then sharpened many times before the staff became too short to bother with.

Nodding at the dummy, Ren motioned for everyone to line up behind him. He approached the target and gave it a solid whack with the stick. One by one, the others attacked as well. Some swung. Others charged with their staves held like battering rams. Gai ran into the dummy at full tilt, spiking it with such vigor that he bounced backward and landed on his rear. He learned from his mistake and braced himself on the next round. A less astute boy swung wildly over and over until Ren pulled him aside and explained how to keep a strong stance.

When the dummy lost too much stuffing to be useful, the boys moved on to other drills. Some dueled, whereas others swung and poked at invisible opponents. Ren took turns participating and observing, unsure of what guidance he was supposed to provide. The group's techniques were on the scrappy side. Yet they seemed effective enough, especially with the concepts on organization that Ren was saving for a reasonable break in practice.

Teng wandered by with a bow slung across his back and a pheasant in hand. This small success was surprising. The only time Teng had gone hunting with Ren, his marksmanship had made brother Chun look like a master archer in comparison.

"Looks like fun." Teng raised an eyebrow. "Can I play, too?"

"It's not a game."

"I know. That's what makes it fun."

Perhaps Teng did not appreciate the seriousness of the situation. Yet he might serve the group well if given a chance to do so. His skills at procurement could be useful, assuming that he limited them to acceptable means. When Teng acted on his own, the consequences of stealing were his responsibility. Thievery from someone in Ren's service would make Ren no better than a bandit leader himself.

It was worth a try. Teng would either agree to behave or go off in search of a better diversion.

"If you're all right with the rules, you're in. Break them, and you're out."

Ren half expected a smart remark in response, but Teng only waited for him to continue.

"My job is to lead. Yours is to follow. We must all work together if we're to get anywhere."

Teng nodded.

"And no more stealing. Either bring it from home or pay for it yourself."

Teng smirked, failing to hide the disappointment in his lowered eyes. "I was afraid of that."

"So you understand that we're here to stop trouble, not to cause more of it."

"Makes sense to me."

"Good." Ren nodded at the rest of the group. "Go join them."

Teng indicated his bow. "But I have this." And the pheasant. "I finally shot something with it, too."

Ren snorted. "You're just as likely to hit one of us by mistake. Until you show some improvement at target practice, it's a stick or nothing."

"Fair enough." With a shrug, Teng picked up a spare staff and did as he was told.

When the mock duels became sluggish and sloppy, Ren called for a break. The boys went down to the creek to refresh themselves before the next phase of practice. From time to time, Father had taken Ren and Chun to the cavalry training grounds when drills were being performed. They had marveled at the neat arrays of riders with crisp uniforms, stern posture, and strict attention to the leader's commands. Though Ren did not plan on holding his fellows to such precise standards of appearance and coordination, a similar emphasis on order would give them an advantage over disorganized rabble.

Ren gathered everyone back after they had taken a few moments to relax. "You all do well at fighting on your own. Now, we must learn to fight together. Bandits surround their victims, scare them into giving up. When we stand as a group, we'll show them that we're not afraid. When we move as a group, we won't let them get the better of us."

He directed the boys in some simple formations. They walked in rows to look like a regiment rather than a horde of troublemakers. On Ren's command, they encircled imaginary foes. And they huddled into knots with their backs facing inward and weapons raised against any who would try to trap them.

The group was surprisingly apt. Aside from a couple of stragglers, the boys marched steadily and hustled into place when signaled to spread out or draw together. Thinking back to Gai's young brothers fighting out in the yard, Ren suspected he was witnessing the results of a more sophisticated version of that same game. He and Chun had played soldier as well, but the sticks had been taken away and replaced with books as they began to understand written words. Things were certainly different when self-defense was part of everyday life.

Practice finished up as afternoon faded into evening. The farm boys headed home, striding off with their staves held high. One of them had slung the flattened dummy over his shoulder like a trophy from the hunt. Teng offered to return for the next meeting. "Better than my original plans," he said. Not that Teng ever planned much of anything, but he had shut his mouth and gone to work and taken steps down a disciplined path. Actions spoke louder than words, and these paid Ren quite a compliment.

Having stayed behind, Hu Xu watched Ren untie Thunder Cloud from a tree. "Some waste of space beat up my sister. I hope we catch him."

Ren nodded. "I hope so, too."

"We're going to, right?"

"We'll be alert and prepared. That's all I can promise."

Ren saddled up and turned to leave. Xu held him back as he began to ride away.

"Let me ask you something else." Xu's small eyes were direct and searching. "What's in this for you?"

"Knowing that I stood up when others would not."

"You mean that?"

"Of course."

"Good." Xu smirked. "Because you're not going to get rich or famous hanging out with us."

Ren shrugged. "I wasn't planning on either."

Cao Chi held title as Colonel of the Chang River Regiment.