Tea in the Garden

Zheng Guo had decided to take his afternoon tea in the garden house off the lake. The sight of the many flowers in a deep expanse before giving way to the water always seemed to have a calming effect on him. The sun shone from above a light passing cloud as he shut his eyes and basked in the serenity of the moment.

"S-sir?" A nervous voice approached the City Lord from his left.

Zheng Guo sighed inwardly as he opened one eye only to peek at the timid man. He shut it just as fast as it opened, and a smile set on his face as he basked in the sun. "Well, what is it?"

"S-sir, it's just that I've-"

"Alright, let me stop you there." Zheng Guo held a hand up to silence the man. "What's your name?"

"Xue Zan, sir." The man said really.

'Great, at least he can readily give that information.' Zheng Guo cleared his throat and looked the man in the eyes. "Right. Then Xue Zan, my name is Zheng Guo, the City Lord of Yuan City. I am also just a man, like you. There's no reason for you to be so nervous."

The man named Xue Zan looked at the city lord with apprehension for a moment. Zheng Guo could almost read the expression on the man's face. Something like, 'If I say the wrong thing, I might not live to see tomorrow.' Then Zheng Guo smiled disarmingly, doing what he could to set the man's mind at ease.

He could almost visibly see the man relax. New slaves were always a little skittish, if he remembered correctly, this one was on the last shipment from Azeas. "Now report." He said with his voice filled with authority.

"When last I was with the group heading to Rantori, it way half past night." Xue Zan relaxed and reported, his voice calmed and became business like as he continued. "When I returned after reporting last night, I found their corpses which were moved into the forest off the main road. The ground was disturbed where they dug a grave for the five men."

Zheng Guo flipped his hand out, summoning a map from the gold storage ring on his finger and put it on a table next to him. Without looking at Xue Zan, he pointed at the map. Getting the meaning, the servant looked at the map and pointed out a spot. "This is where the grave was found."

Zheng Guo looked and snorted. "That's a day's ride north from Yagowa." He smiled as he looked at Xue Zan. "A little too far north, don't you think?"

"Maybe." Xue Zan looked nervously at his master. It wasn't as if he was a master tactician or anything. "Maybe their base is a little south from where the grave was found, possibly in the forest."

"That would be likely, which is exactly why they left the bodies there, where they could be identified in a shallow grave." He gave a thoughtful smirk. "Crafty little men, don't you think?"

"Sir?"

"Why else would you put a grave where others could find it? Why not feed the bodies to the fierce beasts within the area to get rid of the evidence?" He tapped at his chin as he looked at the map. "No... I think they left the bodies to throw us off."

"Or they were sloppy." Xue Zan nervously chuckled. "It does happen to the best of us from time to time."

"Again, that is why this is a good tactic. If you can get someone to believe that you have left a grievous error within your plan, you can fool them, making them believe you to be an imbecile." Zhang Guo rose from his seat and paced around the chair. "If you can convince the enemy that not all the cards are in your hand, you can maneuver them whichever way you wish. The question is, where do they wish us to be further from?" His eyes moved south of the trade village. Three villages down, he set his finger on Rantori. "I believe we should be looking in the forest, yet possibly a few days south of this village."

"That seems wise." Xue Zan gave a confused smile. He was never good at tactics. He only saw where the grave was and couldn't figure out why his master was so adamant on the village.

"I see your hesitation and understand it." Zheng Guo nodded. He indeed understood his servant. "You wish to know why this village, right?" He raised an eyebrow. When he saw his servant gulp and give a small nod, he continued. "I believe it to be south of this village, because most of the conflict first started from this little village. I sent an emissary to this village and he never returned. I sent two others after him, and they never returned. Three more after that, and not a whisper." His voice became louder towards the end, making Xue Zan flinch away slightly. "And now I've sent six men and a messenger, and only the messenger returns!"

Xue Zan stepped back as Zheng Guo took the chair he had been sitting on moments ago and crumpled it into nothing. "S-six, sir?"

Zheng Guo threw the chair into the lake past the flower bed and then looked back at the servant. "Why, yes Xue Zan. I did say six." His glare bore into the servant as a smile slowly rose to his lips. "One of my very favorites tagged along out of sight from the rest of you. I'm quite certain not any of the men even noticed the presence, which is exactly why I'm not concerned. I'm sure she'll find a way through the fog of misdirection and get for me what I want." Zheng Guo looked back to the lake with contentment. Soon, things would be back on track for the next culling. He need only track where their lost cattle