The night wind blew through the dimly lit camp of the Musian and Magoli soldiers. The strong wind suppressed the rustling of armor rubbing against the dirt as hundreds of Razaasia soldiers slowly crawled toward it. This time of morning is when vigilance is most relaxed. The Musian and Magoli soldiers had successfully defended Hosha City a few days ago, so they would not have expected the Razaasia soldiers to conduct a sneak attack tonight. The Razaasia chose this hour for two main reasons: first, the Musian and Magoli soldiers were likely to have let their guard down. Secondly, at this time of early morning, most of the soldiers would be tired and still asleep.
Hundreds of Razaasia soldiers crawled toward the first hundred tents, only to find the tents empty and filled with empty wine jars. They glanced at each other, convinced that the Magoli and Musian soldiers were indeed celebrating as Payam had predicted. So, they confidently sneaked into the first hundred tents, intending to kill the sleeping soldiers. The Razaasia soldiers slowly entered the first ten of these tents. They rushed to the figures on the bed, only to find that the figures inside the first ten tents were not Magoli soldiers, but scarecrows wearing Magoli soldiers' armor. The Razaasia soldiers quickly stepped out of the first ten tents and regrouped with the other Razaasia soldiers in confusion.
"A scarecrow in soldier's armor," one soldier whispered.
"My tent is the same," another soldier whispered.
They hurried forward to inspect the tents. Some were found to be empty, while others contained scarecrows wearing Magoli soldier armor. After checking, the Razaasia soldiers quickly retreated to report to Reza.
Reza established a new camp two miles from his old, abandoned camp. After listening to the soldier's story, he was as confused as the soldier. He turned to look at Payam and asked doubtfully, "Then, what is the meaning of putting a scarecrow in our abandoned tents?"
Payam said, "I don't know, but I heard that the Magoli people believe in shamanism, maybe this is their way of religious practice; or maybe what you said about their army is not as powerful as they look."
Reza asked, "So, are we going to take back our camp? There are some important documents that were left behind."
"Whatever the documentation is, so far I'm sure they've got what they need," Payam said.
"I left a complete outline of our main camp. I need to get them back," Reza said.
"Only we know that the map left behind is the real map of our base camp," Payam said. He turned to Reza and smiled. "But they don't. Do you know what the number one flaw of smart people is?"
Reza said, "I don't know."
Payam chuckled and said, "They also like to think very much, so they dare not completely believe it until they are sure that the things they have in their hands are real intelligence."
Reza sighed and said, "I hope so. Ah... do you think we should take back the camp? What if it's another trap?"
Payam took a sip of water from the cup in his hand and placed the cup back on the table. He looked at Reza and said, "The only way to capture the tiger cub is to enter the tiger's den."
The next morning, Reza and Payam walked out of the tent to find that thick morning fog had obscured the first rays of sunlight. The previous night passed without any sneak attack from either side.
Reza turned to look at his lieutenant and said, "Get the soldiers ready."
The sound of footsteps and metal armor came from the morning fog. As the sound grew clearer, the Razaasia soldiers in black armor slowly emerged from the morning fog and marched into the abandoned camp. When the first light of morning appeared on the horizon, Reza, Payam, and the Razaasia soldiers encountered many scarecrows wearing Magoli soldier armor standing along the top of the city wall. The gate to Hosha City was left wide open, and no Magoli or Musian soldier stood guard.
"Scarecrows... lots of scarecrows standing guard, not enemy soldiers," one soldier muttered.
"So many scarecrows again!"
"The city gates are wide open. Should we go in?"
"Did the Musians abandon their city?"
The Razaasia soldiers murmured in confusion.
"They must have known when they left that we would pursue them with all our might," Reza chuckled. Reza and the Razaasia soldiers chuckled when they saw one scarecrow move. Then, their laughter was interrupted by a soft flute melody as a man stepped out from behind one of the scarecrows. Although the situation seemed favorable to them, Reza found himself in a very strange position, unsure whether to charge with his men and capture the city or to wait. After hesitating for a moment, Reza decided to lead his soldiers into the city and capture it. "Forward!"
Payam said, "Wait!"
Reza turned to Payam and asked, "Why?"
Payam said, "Listen to the melody of that flute."
Reza, who had no knowledge of music, asked, "What about the flute melody?"
"If I remember correctly, this is the melody played at funerals of the Ginmiao people. This flute melody is called the Last Farewell," Payam said.
Reza asked in a broken voice, "The... what? Why is such a song played at such a time?"
Payam said, "It sends a message to us that we are about to die."
Reza scoffed and said, "I would like to see whether it is us or them who die this time."
Payam looked at Reza and shook his head, because he knew that Reza was still young and did not fully understand war strategies. He sighed and said, "Young lord, if you understand the lyrics of the final farewell, you will understand why there is no rush to attack. The calm melody conveys to us the message that death is waiting for us. The meaning of this song is saying goodbye to someone you love because this is the last time you see your loved one before you enter the netherworld." He pointed to the white strips tied to the scarecrow's hands. "Those white strips represent the chains that drag you into hell before judgment. The open door represents the door to hell."
Reza said, "So, you mean this is a trap?"
Payam nodded and said, "Yes and no."
Reza asked, "What do you mean?"
Payam explained, "It could very well be a bluff. There could be nothing waiting for us, or there could be a deadly trap waiting for us. In either case, we won't know unless we move forward. It's a testament to one's will: the will to take risks; to risk and lose everything, or to risk and win everything, or to step back and walk away."
While Payam waited for Reza to decide whether to attack or not, he looked happily at the man standing, playing the flute. He listened carefully to determine if there were any missing notes or extra notes being played, or if there was a difference in the speed at which the melody was being played, but he found none.
Reza looked at Payam's expression and found that Payam's face was troubled. Payam's expression made him hesitant to recklessly invade Hosha City like in the last battle a few days ago and lose all his men. He was waiting for Payam's approval because if he walked into another trap again and killed half of the soldiers, he would be punished militarily for making the wrong decision. He knew the risks and he knew what he needed to do.
Reza looked at his soldiers and then at Payam, who never took his eyes off the man standing among the scarecrows. "Stop!" he said turning to Payam. "What would you do if you were the commander?"
Payam said, "I will turn around and walk away for the time being, retreat first to avoid unnecessary losses, and then reconsider the situation and make a better plan before attacking."
Reza asked, "So, when is a good time for us to attack?"
Payam looked at the sky and then at the city wall. He saw the shadow of the city wall cast on the ground and smiled, "Let's attack at dusk."
Reza asked, "Dusk? Why dusk?"
"If we attack the city at dusk, we will have the advantage," Payam said.
Reza was confused by Payam's suggestion. He didn't seem to understand why Payam wanted to attack at dusk and waste the day, since it was easier for Musian soldiers to defend at night than during the day. He asked doubtfully, "What's the reason?"
Payam turned to Reza, smiled and asked, "I know you think I am wasting daylight. The strategy I use has its own purpose?"
Reza asked, "What purpose?"
Payam smiled and asked, "How accurate would your arrow be if you shot at the sun?"
Reza thought for a moment and found that Payam's question to him was stupid. He said, "It is not very accurate due to the influence of sunlight. Even children know not to shoot in the direction of the sun, because the sunlight will blind your eyes and make your target vision unclear."
He paused because he finally understood why Payam had decided to wait until dusk before attacking Hosha City. He turned to look at Payam with a bright smile on his face.
"Uh...I understand. Let's go have lunch and get some rest before we burn that city to the ground."