Early in the morning, before the sun rose, Chief Keme and the heads of many Kakungga families sat in a large circle. They began their day discussing how to subdivide small plots of land to build homes.
"Everyone can choose where you want to build your home," Chief Keme announced.
One of the men in the circle sighed. "It's a pity that many people don't want to come with us."
"Coercion is not allowed in the tribe," Chief Keme replied gently. "They have already found their own home, and it may not be convenient for them to move here." He looked at the men sitting beside him, noting that most were middle-aged and elderly. Chief Keme understood that the new generation might prefer the lives of ordinary Tanzanie citizens rather than maintaining Kakungga's traditional way of life. "Whether they come or not, after all, we are still in the land of Tanzang, and His Majesty is kind to us. As good citizens of Tanzang, we must also fulfill our duties and responsibilities."
The men nodded in agreement. "After today's celebration, we will help each other build our future homes," said one.
Qadan and his soldiers stepped into the crowd, standing behind Chief Keme. Those seated to Chief Keme's left quickly made room for Qadan. Qadan asked with a smile, "Most of the soldiers have left already. For now, everyone stays in the tent, and we will help you build your home."
"You don't have to do that," Chief Keme said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Sukh asked us to help," Qadan explained. "And those who stayed are all volunteers."
"I'm afraid His Majesty might not like it," Chief Keme mused.
Qadan chuckled. "Ha… As you know, if Sukh allows it, His Majesty will not refuse."
Zuni stepped forward. "Father, lunch is ready."
Chief Keme turned to Qadan. "General Bayarmaa, please join us for lunch. Your soldiers volunteer to help us build our houses, and we will volunteer to feed them." Both Chief Keme and Qadan shared a laugh.
The Kakungga people and the soldiers were enjoying their meal when a wall of shadows suddenly blocked the sunlight. They looked up the hill and saw a line of soldiers standing opposite them at the top.
"Are those soldiers?" someone whispered.
"Invaders?" another asked, fear entering their voice.
Chief Keme stood up. "Invaders, impossible."
Qadan wiped his hands on his trousers, then stood beside Chief Keme. "Those are not ordinary soldiers," he said, staring at the men not far from them. "They are palace guards and imperial guards." He looked at his own soldiers. "If they are here, it means that His Majesty is also here."
"What is His Majesty doing here?" Chief Keme expressed, puzzled.
"I don't know, let's ask," Qadan suggested.
Chief Keme looked at his two daughters. "I'll go talk to them and see what His Majesty wants." He walked away with Qadan.
Qadan looked at the man on horseback. He greeted, "Guard Choi, is His Majesty here too?"
Duri replied, "His Majesty will arrive soon." He waved his hand, and the palace guards grabbed the hilt of their swords.
Qadan saw that this was a signal for the palace guards to prepare for an attack. He quickly asked, "Guard Choi, what does this mean?"
"His Majesty ordered that all remaining soldiers stand by and be ready to obey orders at any time," Duri stated.
Qadan was disturbed by the orders given to him by the palace guards. The soldiers standing behind him were not happy either.
"You, the head of the palace guard, dare to order General Bayarmaa?" one of Qadan's soldiers shouted, enraged.
"As far as I know, your title and status are still far behind General Bayarmaa!" another added, bristling.
The soldiers gritted their teeth, glaring at Duri and the palace guards.
Duri smirked, took out the golden plate from inside his robe, and showed it to the soldiers. Qadan and the soldiers immediately dropped to their knees.
"Long live the Tenth King of Tanzang!" they roared in unison.
Duri sneered at Qadan and the kneeling soldiers. "Seeing this seal is like seeing His Majesty himself. Do you still dare to defy His Majesty's orders?" He looked mockingly at the kneeling men. He noticed that Chief Keme and his mages had not yet knelt. "Chief Keme, where is Great Grand General Bayarmaa?"
"What are you talking about?" Chief Keme asked, genuinely puzzled.
"You've ordered your people to hurt Great Grand General Bayarmaa," Duri accused, his voice sharp. "Yesterday we caught a Kakungga woman. She admitted that you ordered her to kill Great Grand General Bayarmaa. When Great Grand General escaped successfully, you ordered your mages to imprison him in a magic cell."
Chief Keme looked at Duri, dumbfounded. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Qadan looked at Chief Keme, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Is this true?"
Chief Keme scoffed. "I have adopted Sukh as my adopted son, so why would I assassinate and imprison him?"
"That's because he broke his agreement with you," Duri countered, looking down at Chief Keme with disdain. "Are you going to deny it?"
"I will not accept anything that I have not done," Chief Keme stated, his voice firm.
"Guard Choi," Qadan interjected, his voice stern, "the accusations you just mentioned are not small. There are no witnesses. The accusation you make against Chief Keme could send your whole family to their death."
"The witness is in His Majesty's hands," Duri said, confident. "Without the witness, how do we know that Great Grand General Bayarmaa is missing?" He looked at Qadan, a cruel smirk on his face. "General Bayarmaa, why are you not worried about your beloved cousin, but an outsider? Have you forgotten that the Bayarmaa family has a place in the royal court precisely because of Great Grand General?"
Chief Keme said, "If you are looking for Sukh, he's not here, but if you have a different motive and want to frame me, I can tell you that we, the Kakungga, will not step down easily."
"His Majesty knows that that's why…" Duri waved his right hand.
Ten palace guards dragged ten bound captives—six men, four women, and two children—forward. The guards placed their swords on the captives' necks.
Seeing innocent people being treated unfairly, Qadan was furious. He frantically stepped forward, pointing his finger at Duri. He shouted angrily, "Choi Duri!"
"Let them go," Chief Keme commanded, his voice rising. "His Majesty named this place a sacred ground. A neutral land of no killing. How would you answer His Majesty if you spill blood?"
Duri wasn't about to sit on horseback and listen to Chief Keme's lecturing. He grabbed his spear and stabbed the first captive in the abdomen. The spear pierced the young man directly, and he fell to the ground slowly.
"Guard Choi," Chief Keme warned, his voice shaking with controlled fury, "if you kill another Kakungga, I will have to kill you."
Duri looked at the ten palace guards, blinked, and nodded. The nine soldiers quickly slit the throats of the other captives. Duri gestured with his right hand. At the same moment Duri lowered his hand, the whistling sound of loud arrows resonated in the ears of the Kakungga who were not far from Chief Keme and the mages.
The Kakungga people saw a wall of arrows flying towards them, blocking the sun.
"Hide!" Qadan yelled.
Chief Keme looked back at his people and saw them desperately trying to dodge the arrows, but some had already killed several Kakungga. He turned around and saw the blood of the ten people in front of him soaking into the ground, turning into streams and flowing slowly, spreading in all directions. Looking at the blood, Chief Keme suddenly remembered what his grandfather had said before he died.
"Keme… I have seen images of you and our people being hunted down by soldiers. I have seen blood pouring from the bodies of our people into the ground. Promise me that you will never lead our people to serve any king."
Chief Keme's lips quivered as his rage surged. He took a step back and said angrily, "Kill them!"
Qadan grabbed Chief Keme's left arm. "Let's wait for His Majesty to arrive," he said worriedly.
Chief Keme looked at Qadan. "General Bayarmaa, you are a good person, and I do not wish to hurt you, so please get out of the way. But if you want to act on behalf of the evil king, then I must kill you."
"We've known each other for a long time," Qadan argued, "we've fought side by side in countless battles, and you know I wouldn't do something like that. I wouldn't kill any innocent people."
Chief Keme closed his eyes. "As a comrade in arms, please take care of my daughters and keep them safe." He pushed Qadan back towards his soldiers and looked at the mages standing behind him. He nodded to the mages.
The mages clasped their hands together and began to chant. The arrows that had killed many of the Kakungga rose into the air and aimed at the palace guards. The mages clapped their hands in unison, and the sound of clapping was like thunder echoing through the sky. With just one clap, every arrow previously fired at the Kakungga now flew straight towards the group of palace guards and imperial guards standing behind Duri.
Duri drew his sword and ordered, "Kill every single one of them!" Duri turned to Qadan. "You traitor… dare to disobey His Majesty's order?"
The border soldiers looked at Qadan, unsure of what to do. If they didn't obey Haneul's orders, they would be beheaded and labeled as traitors. If they obeyed Haneul's orders, then they would betray their commander.
"We don't kill innocent people," Qadan declared, staring straight at Duri. "If Keme and his mages want to fight Duri and his men, then we will evacuate the innocent."
Duri watched as Qadan, and his men rushed towards the Kakungga people and began to evacuate them back to camp. He charged his horse towards the Kakungga and Qadan. Duri then met Haneul, who was bringing the remaining soldiers from the camp to the riverbank to attack the Kakungga people.
Duri quickly dismounted and knelt in front of Haneul. "Your Majesty, Chief Keme refused to return Great Grand General Bayarmaa. He killed many of our guards with his mages. He said that without him, His Majesty would never be able to retake His Majesty's throne. Now, he's going to fight us, and he says his four hundred mages will take back everything he gave His Majesty, including the throne."
In a furious rage, Haneul commanded, "Surround the people and force Keme and his mages to surrender!" Haneul walked slowly towards the surrounded Kakungga. "Begin killing them." He continued to walk towards the Kakungga people. He looked at Duri. "Tell Keme and his mages to surrender, or the Kakungga tribe will face extinction!"
Duri smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty."