Chapter 522: Hei Goes to Kyoto
Once the Big Yōkai was dead, Hei went to the dying rider.
By now the rider's belly had been eaten hollow. His intestines, his abdominal muscles, and some of his organs were gone, and only sheer will was keeping him alive.
The rider opened his mouth toward Hei. Hei bent down and took his hand, and the rider whispered:
"Demons march as an army; Kyoto lies besieged.
A hundred eaten every day; the people's hearts give way.
By edict of the Son of Heaven, a thousand domains rally to the throne.
Sweep away the demons; bring peace to All Under Heaven."
With that, the rider let go of life.
Hei laid the rider's hand down and bowed slightly to his body.
That evening, Hei gathered everyone in the village and told them to pack up their families and flee Bamboo Grove County.
They were only thirty kilometres from Peach Blossom Mountain, where the demon army was camped. The monsters could cover that in half a day.
If the demon army ever came sweeping into Bamboo Grove County in force, the whole county could be wiped out!
Everyone with any say in Bamboo Grove County had gathered at the Minamoto home.
When Hei finished telling them what had happened, they were all deeply worried.
The county headman asked, "Lord Minamoto, is there no other way?
"Those who leave their homeland end up worse off than stray dogs. And the domains are strict about household registration. If we folk from around Kyoto go wandering into the domains, I'm afraid we'll end up as slaves!"
Hei frowned. "Headman, I understand your worry. But being made a slave is still better than being eaten by demons.
"Besides, this is an exceptional situation. When you reach the other domains, you must tell their daimyō that Kyoto is under attack.
"If you carry that news, you'll have done them a service, and the daimyō won't mistreat you."
They discussed it all night and found no other way. In the end they decided to do as Hei said: split into several groups, flee to the surrounding domains, and spread word that Kyoto was besieged.
Hei had no intention of going with them. He lit candles at home and knelt before the armour and the treasured sword his ancestors had left him.
His massive frame sat there like a great bell.
He looked at the black armour before him and the cold iron mask that went with it.
Generation after generation, his ancestors had worn this armour and wielded this treasured sword on the battlefield, earning glories that their descendants could be proud of.
And he himself had spent half his life wasting away in the countryside. How could he live up to his ancestors' glory?
And so he made his decision. He would go to Kyoto, the city ruled by the demons' terror!
With the treasured sword in his hand, he would cut through the fear hanging over Kyoto, the Son of Heaven, and the people!
The next day, with his wife and son attending him, Hei put on his ancestors' armour, belted on the treasured sword, and prepared to set out for war.
Hei said to his wife and son:
"You two go to the domains with the villagers."
His wife shook her head.
"Husband and wife are one flesh. I will go with you, my husband, through the very gates of hell!"
Tarō said as well:
"Father, if Mother and I go to the domains, we may end up enslaved for leaving our land without permission.
"Rather than live in disgrace as slaves, I'd sooner go to war and come home on my shield!"
Seeing how determined his wife and son were, Hei didn't try to persuade them further and agreed to let them come along.
He knew very well how chaotic the times were. There were refugees everywhere, and the daimyō treated refugees with great cruelty.
Once caught, refugees might be killed and hung along the roads to frighten other refugees, or at best enslaved and abused for the rest of their lives.
The road to Kyoto was full of danger, and they might well be killed by the demon army. But if his wife and son were eaten by demons at his side, at least the pain would only last an instant. If the daimyō caught them, they'd suffer for a lifetime!
Once Hei agreed, his wife and Tarō began packing. Hei turned to Kian and asked:
"Sir, will you come with me to Kyoto?"
Kian laughed. "Of course. I've always wanted to see Kyoto, the greatest city of the Eastrise Dynasty!"
And so the four of them set out on the road.
At dawn the next day, carrying dry rations and water, the four headed north toward Kyoto.
They already knew Peach Blossom Mountain had become the demon army's camp, so they deliberately skirted around it, planning to circle around and enter the city from Kyoto's eastern wall.
It was more than seventy kilometres. The three men walked from morning to dusk and reached the foot of the walls in a single day.
Hei, Kian, and Tarō's physical condition went without saying. The three of them standing together looked like a wall of mountains. Walking that distance was nothing.
As for the only woman, Hei's wife, Tarō carried her on his back, so she didn't slow them down.
When they reached the foot of Kyoto's eastern wall, it was dusk. The sun had half set, and the sky was red as blood.
The gate in the eastern wall was blocked by a boulder, so there was no getting in the normal way. But you could still enter the city by ropes let down from the wall.
As the four approached the wall, the soldiers on top shouted at them to halt:
"Who are you, and how dare you approach the walls!
"Demons are running rampant. Get away from here at once before the demons take your lives!"
Hei bowed toward the top of the wall and said:
"I am Minamoto no Hei, a rōnin of the countryside, whose ancestor rose to the rank of great general. I heard that demons were running rampant in Kyoto, and I have come with my sword and armour to serve the Son of Heaven!"
The soldiers on the wall asked, "And who are the people with you?"
"My family."
A clamour broke out among the soldiers on the wall. They couldn't understand it. The demons were coming into the city every day and eating a hundred people, and everyone inside was desperate to get out. Why would anyone bring their family into the city?
A samurai looked down at the four at the foot of the wall. Three of them were huge, and Hei was wearing a heavy suit of ō-yoroi and carrying a katana.
The samurai looked surprised, then said:
"Since they're willing to serve the Son of Heaven, lower the basket and pull them up.
"So many people are getting eaten every day as it is. If they're not afraid to die, let them in!"
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