The Japanese empire 3

The ronins walked many miles on foot, while carrying the heavy bamboo stick on their shoulders, they have been unto that for a whole day, and all wanting in physical strength, unsteady gaits, sluggish motions, and a half open eyes, turned to their behaviours,

They all grunted in hunger, but there was no hope of finding food, when food haven't been provided for the samurai's who captured them.

The samurai's followed a montainous route, with Rocky grounds, it was the shortest route to arriving at the Edo castle than following the woods, it wouldn't take them up to two days to reach the castle, but following the woods will be a two days journey or more.

It's hard to bristle smoothly on the mountainous route, that, provided more labour for the ronins, they walked while dodging their feet from hitting a rock.

"Jinsokude!." The commander yelled at the ronins, he whipped the last man in the back with a slack cane, out of fear, the rest in front hastened their steps, to adhere to the commanders will, and not get whipped, and have more strength taken out of them.

The commander tailed of the ronins as they bristled on a Rocky ground.

The last man in the ronins line was very exhausted, he has been whipped many times and no longer has the strength to walk as long as a mile, the last Ronin in the line carried along so as to not slow down the line, he was barely the one aiding his movement further, rather, the pull from the ronins at the front line aidied his movement, the only work he did was stand on his feet and let others drag him along, he didn't cater for himself anymore but for the other ronin's who were more lively than he was, he believed they would make it to the Edo castle alive, for him, there was no hope, he had accepted he would die any moment.

The last Ronin dragged him self and his feet, moving along with the line. even at his effort to not slow down the line, he couldn't go fast enough, he still slowed down the line.

The commander whipped him in the back once more, it was the thirteenth time he has whipped that very Ronin at the back line, the Ronin couldn't hold up under the scourge, the spright whip seared his clothing and probably seared his flesh a little. Out of pain, he dropped from an upright position to the ground, his weight pulled the rest in the line, they all fell roughly to the ground.

The commander whipped the last Ronin a few more times, but he showed no reaction to the heavy impact rammed against his body, the whips came so sprightly, that it seared his kimono, such a whip was enough to cause a pain that would make a man writ himself around in response to pain, but the ronin laid stiff on the ground, sideways, and unresponsive to sensations.

After a while, it came to the commander's mind, the Ronin haven't been responding.

He crouched before the Ronin and placed two fingers on his neck, what he observed from that told him the ronin was dead, the commander raised the ronins arm, and left it after a moment, it fell to the ground effortlessly.

Those experiment proved the Ronin had given up the ghost.

"He is dead." The commander pronounced, he drove a knife into the heart of the dead Ronin, to assure himself he has died, he wouldn't want anyone escaping.

"Sasaki, noo!." Osako wept, laying on the ground, he struggled to stand on his feet, the rest were still laying flat on the ground, including the dead Ronin, osako's efforts were rendered futile, for he cannot heave both himself and the whole team up.

"Dispose his body, the commander ordered a samurai standing immediate him,

Am sure hounds would make a meal out of him."

Osako wept bitterly for sasaki, others wept too, but not like osako did, they haven't much strength for that, weeping bitterly would drain their strength the more.

The ronins laid on the ground, grunting due to lack of comfort, parts of their bodies weren't placed in a good position, some had their hands twisted to the side, a few more had their head placed sideways thoroughly, it sent pains along their necks, they all laid on the ground, holding up under those scourges.

Two samurai's came and untied the dead Ronin from the bamboo stick, the samurai's held the corpse's two hand and drag him along the ground away from everyone, the samurai's reached a point very away from where everyone was, they dumped the corpse beside the well beaten path, and left.

Meanwhile, the commander ordered the ronins to get up, considering he has made riddance of the weight that pulled them down, the thirteen ronin's tossed around on the ground attempting to get on their feet, the commander watched as they struggled to stand on their feet.

It was amusing a little to him, and looked like a puzzle too, the Ronins neededed to heave themselves up uniformly and not individually, the ronins at the back line were the first to heave themselves up, but the pull from the ronins at the first line who were still laying on the ground pulled them down back to the ground.

It drained their strength doing that, the ronins at the back line would lay on the ground, gathering more strength to try heaving themselves up again, during their moment of rest, the ronins at the front line would try to heave themselves selves up, but they also get pulled down by the ronins at the back line who laid on the ground.

It went on for a good long while, the commander watched them struggle, he didn't mind delaying his journey, even when some of his samurai's tried to help the ronins get on their feet, he cautioned them with a stern look and threatening words.

At a point, the ronins gave up, they all laid on the ground, utterly exhausted by labour, it forced the commander to yield to helping the ronins up, he ordered a few samurai's to heave up the dying ronins, the samurai's did so, and they all continued the journey.

Twelve year old Kubo who was amidst the line wasn't aiding his movement anymore, rather, the more lively ronin's aided his movement, a replica of what happened to the dead fourteenth Ronin looked to happen to Kubo, fujikawa's son.

kubo was a little lucky he was amidst the ronins, leaving him unnoticed by the commander, if it came to his observations that Kubo was dying and delaying the line, he would have little Kubo seperated from the lively ones, and have him killed.

----------------------------------

The ronins journeyed for ten more hours after the dead Ronin incident, before reaching the path that leads to the Edo-castle, they could see the castle miles away with just a straight look, osako who led the ronins line was first to see the Edo castle,

"Behold where our fate shall be decided," he said, alerting everyone they have almost arrived the Edo castle, all through the journey osako wished for his own demise, but yet couldn't embrace it, he didn't want to desert his fellow ronins during hard times, he felt it would be more honourable if they go through suffering together and also die together, it is also the cultural part of being a true leader in the Japan.