Early in the morning, after their morning exercises, Haitao and his party of ten slowly walked up the mountain, while the rest of the recruits continued training at the ground.
Timicin led the way up the mountain. When he looked back, Chinua, Khunbish, and Khenbish followed Haitao. The three seemed to be discussing something important with Haitao. Timicin saw Haitao pointing at the mountain and its base, but he couldn't hear what they were saying because they were far behind the others.
Terbish stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Muunokhoi put his arm around Timicin's shoulders. "Yeah, what's wrong with you?" he chuckled. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"
"Look down," Timicin said, pointing. "What are Chinua and Captain Haitao talking about? It seems to be very important."
Terbish turned to look at Chinua. He nodded. "Yeah, it seems so. What are they talking about?"
"How do I know?" Timicin grumbled.
"Should we go ask?" Muunokhoi wondered aloud.
"You idiot," Terbish retorted, "if you ask, it'll be clear we're watching them."
"Hey, I don't want to be part of your spy team," Muunokhoi said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm neutral."
"Timicin, you'd better be careful," Od warned.
"Why?" Timicin challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"Because if Chinua and Captain Haitao become good friends, you're finished."
Timicin sneered. "You think I'm afraid of her...?"
Everyone stopped and looked at Timicin.
"What do you mean by her?" Chaghatai asked, a frown creasing his brow.
"No matter how much you hate Chinua, don't call her that; she saved your life last night," Erden chimed in, stepping forward.
"Also," Od added, "Khunbish and Khenbish are her friends, and they're obviously the two strongest recruits here, except for Och."
"Timicin, forget about it," Och advised calmly. "We'll be here for a long time."
"It's best for you two to reconcile," Chaghatai said sadly. "As Captain Haitao's subordinates, everyone else already looks down on us, so why should we look down on each other in our small circle?"
"I agree with Chaghatai," Terbish said with a nod.
"Me too," Muunokhoi added, shaking his head. "If I hadn't overslept, I wouldn't have been assigned to Captain Haitao, but I accept it. Instead of making a fuss, I'm learning how to make the situation work for me."
"I don't hate Chinua," Timicin insisted.
"Then why do you always stick your nose into her problems?" Chaghatai asked, crossing his arms.
"She annoys me."
"Annoyed because she's better than you?" Erden teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
Timicin grabbed Erden by the collar, leaned closer, and said through gritted teeth, "Next time you talk to me like that, I'll shoot you in the ass during training." He pushed Erden away.
"Ooh... how scary..." the men chorused mockingly.
Erden quipped, "My ass is quite deep down, and if you want a piece of my juicy ass, you'll have to use your own arrow."
The men burst into laughter.
Timicin kicked Erden, but Erden moved left, easily avoiding the kick. He laughed, "My mobility is like passing wind; you'll have to kick better!"
Chaghatai put his arms around Timicin and Erden's shoulders. "Stop fooling around!" He quickly released their shoulders and started running toward the mountain road. "Whoever is last to the top gets named the black sheep!"
"You cheater!" Muunokhoi shouted, quickly catching up with Chaghatai.
Timicin grabbed Erden's hand and dragged him back. "You're the black sheep!" He rushed up toward the others, leaving behind Od and Erden.
"Hey, wait for me!" Erden shouted. Erden and Od quickly chased the others up the hill.
Climbing to the top, Chinua and Haitao stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire training camp. Standing on the highest point of the valley, Chinua could see a huge body of water gleaming on the mountaintop.
"As we passed that area," Chinua said, pointing to the valley. "I was wondering what lies on the other side of the mountain."
"On the other side of the mountain is a small village," Haitao explained. "It takes about a day's walk from the mountain to get there."
"There are so many benefits to the mountains, why don't the villagers stay nearby?" Chinua asked.
"They are afraid of floods and landslides in the rainy season," Haitao said, pointing to the big river. "On the other side of that river is the Alohul Kingdom."
"How big is the Alohul Kingdom?" Chinua asked, her eyes wide.
Haitao smiled. "The entire north, as far as the eye could see, is the Alohul Kingdom."
"That must mean the Alohul Kingdom has a strong army," Chinua mused.
Haitao laughed. "On the contrary, they have the fewest troops. The Alohul Kingdom is a land full of snow and miles and miles of nothing. The weather is cold and unpredictable all year round, and winter is excruciating. The further you travel into the heart of the Alohul Kingdom, the colder the weather. That's why we were able to set our training camp on the borders of the Alohul Kingdom."
Chinua sighed thoughtfully. "I think it's also a good advantage for their country's defense."
"Why does Chinua think so?" Haitao asked, intrigued.
"Because whoever risks an invasion will get nothing but ice and snow," Chinua replied. She turned to Haitao and looked him up and down. "Those who refuse to accept you as captain are at a great loss."
Khunbish walked up to Chinua and Haitao. "Chinua, the meal is ready."
"Let's go eat," Haitao said, gesturing toward the campfire.
When Chinua and Haitao returned, they sat in a small circle with the others, the crackle and warmth of the campfire embracing them.
"Captain," Chinua said, "thank you for taking us on this sightseeing tour; it opened my eyes. What should we do tomorrow?"
"I'm thinking of taking you out hunting," Haitao replied, stirring the pot of food.
Od jumped up excitedly. "Hunting... I love hunting! I'm finally going to show my skills!"
"If your bow skills are so good, why didn't you pick up that intruder's bow last night?" Erden teased, poking at him.
"I was about to pick it up, but Chinua was two steps closer!" Od protested.
"I don't remember that," Chaghatai interjected playfully. "I remember you hiding behind Captain Haitao."
Erden stood up, quickly sat beside Haitao, and said, "Captain Haitao, speaking of last night... I didn't know you were so skilled. Why didn't you teach us these things instead of taking us sightseeing, fishing, and hunting?"
"Erden does have a point," Chaghatai said, frowning at Haitao. "Why don't you teach us these fighting skills? So stingy..."
Haitao smiled. "I taught you well, but you don't listen to my teaching. How can you be good at archery just shooting a target that doesn't even move? To improve your archery, you have to hit moving targets." He lightly tapped Erden. "Think about it... Will the enemy stand still for you to shoot at, huh?"
"While that's true," Od countered, "I don't recall you teaching us anything other than eating and sleeping."
"It's your own fault for being lazy," Haitao said indifferently. "Don't shirk your responsibility."
"Taking us fishing doesn't teach us anything," Terbish grumbled. "Taking us sightseeing doesn't teach us anything."
"When we gave you an answer, you told us our eyesight was very good," Muunokhoi added, looking at Haitao. "I'm sorry, but I also have to express my concerns."
Haitao looked at his clumsy subordinates and felt a little distressed for them. He felt that his good intentions were in vain. He sighed. "Why don't you ask Chinua the same question I ask everyone every time we go out?"
Timicin looked at Chinua. "What's the difference?" he asked.
Haitao laughed. "Chinua's answer, and the rest of your answers, are like heaven and earth."
Och looked at Chinua. "What did you see?"
Chinua smiled. "Captain Haitao took everyone out for sightseeing, not to relax you." She looked at the other men sitting on the ground. "He's teaching everyone strategy."
Timicin stopped chewing, his eyes wide. "Strategy?"
"If you know the land like the back of your hand and can use your environment to your advantage, you can predict where your enemies are most likely to attack," Chinua explained, handing the grilled fish to Haitao. "Throughout history, those who win on the battlefield don't rely on strength alone but on good strategies." She looked at the speechless men sitting around the small bonfire. "Because they have a good strategic plan."
"Chinua, very smart!" Terbish exclaimed, a newfound respect in his voice. "I think only one genius can understand another genius."
Chinua laughed. "It's common sense!"
Erden threw a bun at Chinua, but Khunbish caught it mid-air. He hissed at Chinua, "Are you calling us stupid?"
Od quickly stepped aside and sat between Chinua and Khenbish, putting his hand on Chinua's shoulder. "Chinua...my brother," he pleaded, "please teach me how to shoot like you!"
Chinua took the bun from Khunbish and stuffed it into Od's mouth. "You're asking the wrong person," she said, pointing to Khunbish and Khenbish. "They are the people you need to ask. I learned from them."
"Captain Haitao, why don't you tell everyone what you taught?" Timicin asked, still processing.
"It would clear up a lot of misunderstandings," Muunokhoi added.
"It would also stop people from calling you a clown," Och said bluntly.
"Those who don't want to learn from me aren't worth my explanation," Haitao stated simply.
The men hissed at Haitao, then threw their buns at him. Haitao raised a hand to block the buns. "Hey...hey...at least I'm still your commander," he chuckled.
Chinua sat, watching the men around her argue freely and eat by the small campfire. This was so different from the quiet meals in her own courtyard. She sighed, saying softly, "So this is what it feels like to eat together as a family."