4 Cleaning the Backyard

"I was aiming for speed and power, but I compromised as the typical bow we use is ranges from fifty pounds to ninety pounds. Here, I want bows with these specs, recruit people to mass produce this design to improve the penetrating power of our weapons. You will also have to make sure that no information about it leaks to other kingdoms lest they band together to annihilate our village. I will give you two months, I want to arm at least five hundred men with this new weapon. They will then be personally trained to my standards so that I can use them. See to it that it's done!"

A scroll was given to Bayi, he received it with respect and held it like a fragile treasure. The gravity in his Raja's voice indicated how important the task that was assigned to him.

"I will do as the Salip instructed." (Salip means 'your majesty')

Lapu-Lapu nodded with satisfaction and turned his head.

"Oying, Marin, Yubot you three will lead the establishment of our marine forces, train with new recruits to become proficient in using the ships we have captured. I want a capable crew within three months. Also, let our boat makers study one of those ships and see if they can be replicated. Disassemble them if necessary."

The three he mentioned are his trusted confidants who are blood sworn to be his brothers. They are very loyal to him and are adventurous in nature, the prospect of exploring the vast oceans in their new vessels made them smile. They bowed without qualms with smiles on their faces, they are very eager with their task as they have been really mesmerised by those ships from the get go.

"Layang, we will need to expand our fields, tell the slaves to do well and I might restore their status to freemen. See if we can export new breeds of cattle, pigs and chicken from the neighbouring kingdoms and choose some people with background in breeding methods for these animals. We will begin large scale breeding but we can only take it slow with this. We need capable people who has experience in the field that is why we need to see the world first, see if we can gain benifits from other countries."

"This is where you come in Bonbon, ask our friend Xin Zhao if he can help us send our people to trade in China, we need the latest news and for that, we have to establish a network. Business will be the perfect cover, make something up to make him agree, bribe some people if you have to, those people love gold, just don't spend more gold than necessary. We can ask others if he doesn't cooperate."

The two nodded and saw no fault in the reasoning of their Raja, they received their tasks willingly with a bow. They were shocked and excited by the sudden positive change in their Raja. Lapu-Lapu is a brave Raja and a great hunter just like his father, but that was it, both of them didn't really have that great of insight as leaders. But after he almost died, it seemed like another person possessed Lapu-Lapu and caused him to become a scholar/sage who can even make improvements to their most favored weapons and make plans to improve their lives. The weapon alone is enough for them to believe that Mactan will soon rise in power, with his other plans, it won't be long before they conquered all of cebu and avenge their previous Raja.

Lapu-Lapu didn't mind the thoughts of his subordinates and continued to hand out tasks to them. Establishing a crude outline of a government as an initial foundation of his future empire.

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[June 21, 1521 Maktan 5 PM]

Five hundred men who are trained in secret lined up standing in attention, they weren't wearing their traditional outfits for today and instead are in some kind of semi armored uniform. They are all wearing raven black masks with short buffalo horns on both sides of their temples that made them look like cow demons, on their chest is a steel plated leather armor designed to protect their vital parts from being pierced. They also have arm and leg protection made from buffalo leather with metal frames to defend from cutting attacks. Armed with modified repeating bows, they looked fierce and intimidating. Many of these men are hunters with their sons who wanted their families to support the Raja's plans and take their sons out to draw out blood from their kill.

At first these seasoned hunters believed that since they are already hunters, they wouldn't require that much training and everything will be a breeze for them. They were wrong. Very wrong. Frogs in a well in the eyes of their Raja. They shot countless arrows every day, ran carrying their peers, and went through thin slit just to make the cut lest they be removed and lose honor in front of their friends. What made it even worse for them is military discipline. Military discipline for them was a foreign concept as an army is only usually formed when war occurs and large families sends their own hunters to participate in the war. There was no military discipline at all that can be called.

They trained and trained in things that are unfamiliar until it became muscle memory, everyday at a different level compared to what they had expected. Harder and harder, with just enough rest just before they reached their breaking point. Orders are everything. Modern techniques in fighting. Hand, eye, body, sound, signals and other forms of coded communication. Endurance training. Laying traps. Ambushing techniques. Hand to hand combat. First aid. They are hammered until they bent and was molded into sharp weapons for their Raja to use. Well they got the gist of it and will need practical experience to refine their newly learned skills and will develop further from that point as an invisible/hidden force.

"Men! You have died once before and are once again brought to life as true peerless hunters. As hunters you will not charge to meet the enemy head on. No. Neither will you fight in the open for all to see the glory of battle like brainless idiots who filled their heads with childish fantasies. You will fight in the silence of night, in the middle of the day, early in the morning, like theives... you will appear whenever you are least expected, like a ghost... without being seen. In the most efficient way!... Your enemies will die not knowing how they did. You... Your names will not be known to anyone else but your peers but your shadows will strike fear to the heart of those enemies who slight us. I say, that you are ready and that it is time... It's time to for our training to bear fruit, our steel to meet blood. Today, we will head out and cleanse this place. Until I your king is the only king left in this island! Our arrows will seek blood today. Let the hunt begin!!!"

Lapu-Lapu wasn't the sole ruler of Mactan, there are few minor lords who are under his banner but are against his commands.

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"Kyaaaaa!"

A scream echoed in the early morning of the twenty second as bodies who died in similar fashion were found. The dead have one thing in common, they were all found with black arrows in them, and there was no witnesses or leads as to how these important figures died.

Those who have sharper eyes on the other hand who are quick to pick up already saw a pattern in these killings. All these people are opposed to the ruling of the Raja Lapu-Lapu of Mactan and are a threat to the king themselves. Not just a few people especially the Maharlika who are in the know had this idea but all of them kept their mouth shut as they understood the consequences of angering or opposing their Raja.

Everyone knows that these families will be absorbed into the new growing faction in the heart of Mactan. Their lands will be awarded to those with merits and their riches will be taken by the Salip to fund his reforms.