A/N: This chapter will explore what our other characters will be doing, but the focus is still on Jon (for now). And people, please be safe from the coronavirus and practice good hygiene.

Without ado, here is the next chapter.

"Good morning, Captain Stark," Brigade Lieutenant Minoru Lim and Benjen's direct subordinate addressed him in nihongo while standing at attention in the brigade's headquarters.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Lim," Benjen addressed back. Even though his hold on nihongo had improved over the last three moons, he still needed assistance on issuing orders to the troops from Minoru Lim, who spoke the common tongue very well.

Benjen was surprised to learn that Lieutenant Lim was actually not born in the Golden Empire, spending much of his youth in the Free Cities before his merchant parents settled back in Yi-Ti and arranged for him to take the military examinations.

"How did you learn the common tongue?" Benjen inquired of Lieutenant Lim.

"When I lived in Volantis, one of my tutors was an Andal from Westeros, the Arbor if I remember correctly. I learned the common tongue from him and it was quite useful when I lived in the Free Cities until I returned home. Good to finally find some use for it again, captain," Lim answered. Benjen was still amazed that this foreigner spoke his tongue without any accent and could pass off as a native of Westeros if it weren't for his appearance.

Benjen spent the last three moons getting acquainted with his new brigade. Out of the twelve brigades in the Northwest Imperial Army, the one he commanded was labeled as a "flying column", which combined cavalry and infantry into one formation. As Benjen studied the military journals of the Golden Empire with Lieutenant Lim's assistance, flying columns were formed after the imperial army discovered with disastrous results the limitations of pure infantry and cavalry formations. While infantry could repel cavalry charges given the right weapons and tactics, they couldn't move as fast or maneuver as tightly as their horsed comrades. For armies posted to the northern steppes, having speed, mobility, and power all at the same time could mean the difference between victory and defeat against the superior maneuverability of hostile steppe tribes.

Flying columns were formed for this purpose, as they could move faster and perform tighter maneuvers than normal infantry formations while being able to sustain themselves against infantry engagements longer than cavalry formations could. A normal footman in a flying column was equipped with a pike and a dagger or axe while wearing a leather cuirass and sandal-boots, while bows would be used for archers instead of pikes. When Benjen wore the footman armor and sandal-boots, he was surprised at how light they were and how easily he could move through the steppes in the sandals. One problem with boots in Westeros was when a bannerman marched through mud, and if worn improperly, the foot would rot inside the boot. But for the sandal-boot, any mud would dry quickly and with their spiked soles, those boots could last for a very long time in the field.

As for the mounted troops, they were usually equipped with a single-edged steel curved sword called a dao, perfect for slashing adversaries from horseback, two daggers, and a lance while mounted archers would use bows. They also had similar armor to their footman brethren, but they had leather guards to protect their shins, understandable given that the legs would be primary targets in anti-cavalry maneuvers. At the same time, the cavalry were also trained to fight off their horses, which was useful in the event that they had to support their grounded comrades.

All in all, Benjen had a total of five thousand troops under his command, divided among two thousand and five hundred infantry and two thousand cavalry. The other five hundred were missile troops, which was essentially a loose term regarding those that didn't fight with swords or spears. However, he was quick to not underestimate their potential, as they were equipped with an advanced type of crossbow that could shoot ten bolts in quick succession and knew how to operate a wagon that had a hundred cylinders, each with what the Yi-Tish termed "fire arrows."

One hundred? Benjen thought with astonishment. The wagon with a hundred fire arrows, called a hwacha, was designed to rain as much arrows as possible on fast-moving targets or dense formations. Seeing a demonstration, Benjen watched in wonder as one hundred arrows, all powered with black powder, flew through the air and landed over two thousand yards away. Two thousand yards! That's five times the distance that any decent bowman in Westeros could ever achieve. This is a game-changing weapon!

Talking with the crossbowmen and the ones that operated the hwacha, Benjen saw that they were among the most skilled and educated soldiers under his command. Besides years of training, one needed to have smarts and have aptitude with numbers in order to operate weapons such as the repeating crossbow and the hwacha, which is something that not every person in the known world possessed. As such, the missile troops received bonuses not even the cavalry possessed, which made sense considering that the army needed to keep their talented soldiers where they were.

Benjen also became aware that the tanegashima, an elegant weapon also running on black power made of wood and steel, was a game-changing tool from the first time he saw it on the army exercises Joon Kitara took them to. A footman need only a day of training at the most to be familiarized with it before being able to use it properly, and a mass of troops equipped with the weapon could cut down cavalry charges. However, as Lord Joon stated, they were untested weapons and thus only a small number of troops in the northwest army were equipped with them.

Benjen journeyed to Northwest Army's headquarters after getting acquainted with the brigade and gained an audience with Quartermaster-General Kang Shin thanks to Sam, who was assigned to assist him in ensuring that the troops were paid on time and without any irregularities. From what he'd seen, Sam was adapting very well to the Golden Empire, as he was able to speak all three main tongues of the empire in a conversational manner after only three moons, and especially loved the food, which Sam said was richer and more diverse than anything he'd ever tasted at Horn Hill. As a Reachman, that was high praise.

"Captain Stark," Kang Shin addressed him as he entered the room.

"Quartermaster Shin," Benjen replied as Kang Shin bid him to sit on the cushion.

"What brings you here today?" Shin didn't look up as he continued to write orders and look through various papers while Sam interpreted from nihongo to the common tongue. Nihongo is the language for the army.

"A moon ago, I've submitted a request to the general for my brigade to have five hundred tanegashima, twenty-four hwacha along with two hundred and forty thousand arrows, and thousands of ceramic casings filled with black powder. I was wondering if the general received my request," Benjen went to the point while Sam translated.

"He did," Shin answered while still focused on the paper before him.

"And what did he say?" Benjen asked expectedly.

"Request denied, on the account of the scarcity of black powder currently controlled by the Northwest Army," Kang answered.

"Hmmm," Benjen nodded. "That's funny, because I swore to have seen that the Northwest Army recently received two thousand barrels of black powder into its armory and that a new shipment of tanegashima was distributed amongst the brigades except for mine."

Shin stopped making strokes with his brush, spurring Benjen onward as he knew that he got his attention.

"When I broached Lord Kitara on the subject, he said that he never received my request and that I should resubmit it through what he said 'proper channels.' Only recently did I discover that my request did go through the process before disappearing. Would you care to explain what happened, Quartermaster Shin?"

Shin stared at Benjen, giving off a rather annoyed expression. "Many documents get lost through the 'proper channels', Captain Stark, and the secretaries of the Golden Empire are not infallible. Mistakes happen."

Benjen wagged his finger. "But not here. I did some looking into your background, Quartermaster Shin. You were among the top ten in your examinations group before choosing to take a commission with the army. You served under Lord Kitara in the cavalry before you decided that the field did not take full use of your talents, while military administration did. You started out in the commissary before you worked your way up to—"

"Spare me the listing of my accomplishments, Captain Stark. I know of all of them because I know my efforts got me here," Shin interrupted. "What is your point?"

"My point is that you would not have got here if you allowed mistakes to happen on your watch. I've talked with the other brigade commanders and they told me that you never spent more than a week fulfilling any request that they made to you when it came to supplies or other administrative issues. And any time secretaries made mistakes you either dismissed them or had them reported to the commissioner. So given your background and how highly the other officers in this army speak of you, please elaborate to me why my request for more black powder weapons got lost in the process," Benjen somehow already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Shin personally.

Shin folded his arms before scoffing. "I trust you've seen the state that your brigade was in?"

Benjen nodded. Looking through the barracks and kitchens of the brigade's camp grounds, he found that the troops had secondhand weapons and armor and that their rations were subpar, courtesy of their previous commander embezzling army funds before meeting his demise and the headquarters withholding the money needed for better rations and equipment. The troops were also unclean and undisciplined thanks to most of the officers being in on their previous commander's schemes and purged. He also discovered that the only reason why Lieutenant Lim was able to remain with the brigade was because he cooperated with the commissioner and essentially sold out his colleagues, which would explain why the troops were wary of Benjen when he seemed so comfortable with him. Looks like snitches are frowned upon everywhere, Benjen mused.

"Then you must understand why this army would be hesitant to fulfill your request for more black powder weapons, given that your predecessor abused his authority and his troops suffered for it. They cannot be trusted and black powder is a resource that must be used wisely," Shin pointed out.

"Is my brigade not part of the army?" Benjen asked. "If you keep continuing to treat those men poorly, that's how they will behave."

"Wishful thinking, Captain Stark. Giving men a fresh start might have worked in Westeros, but give men that same opportunity here, they abuse it and the cycle has repeated enough times."

Benjen sighed. "I was tasked by the general to restore my brigade to combat readiness and he gave me a lot of flexibility on how to get it done. I believe that the black powder request that I put in will help me achieve that."

"Really? Now tell me. What problems did you exactly see in your troops?" Kang Shin asked.

"Well, I saw that their equipment was subpar, their officers are honestly not suited to command, and they are mostly unclean and fed poor rations," Benjen listed.

Shin shook his head. "That's only the surface of the problem, Captain Stark." He then took a small cloth pouch and placed it in front of Benjen. Gesturing for him to open it, Benjen saw a golden-brownish paste and knew something about this didn't smell right from how its scent.

"What is this?" Benjen looked at the paste.

"It's called yapian," Shin said. "It was originally used to treat diarrhea or to treat pain, but then someone at court found that yapian could be used for other purposes such inducing certain dreams."

"Kind of like the milk of the poppy," Benjen looked at the brownish paste.

"Exactly like the milk of the poppy," Shin replied. "Considering that yapian and the milk of the poppy are essentially the same thing due to coming from the same plant."

Benjen nodded, now understanding. "But what does this to have to do with my troops?"

"Well, this version of the poppy plant is much more potent in that it can be smoked and its scent inhaled. It's also much more accessible than the milk of the poppy because alchemists found that it is quite easy to make large quantities of yapian. All you need is a few silver taels and you'll be able to purchase two bags of that stuff. Your predecessor not only embezzled funds, but he was in a close partnership with several alchemists. He used his troops as customers while cutting in the alchemists with some of the profits. From what I estimated, he was able to clear fourteen thousand silver taels in total before his schemes were exposed."

Now that Benjen thought about it, he did notice something strange among the troops. He saw a look in their eyes, a look that he saw when Maester Aemon gave Jon the milk of the poppy after he saved Lord Commander Mormont from that wight. However, Maester Aemon only used a tiny amount to treat Jon's wounds while the troops looked a little too off for soldiers. He also remembered being repulsed by their smell, but something from their scent didn't match dirt or shit. Now, I know what it is.

"So, you see, Captain Stark, given how widespread the yapian problem is among your brigade, I cannot allow the general to grant your request for more black powder weapons, not until you clean that problem up."

Benjen narrowed his eyes. "I can't help but think that there is more to this problem than just soldiers being addicted to substances. You said something about Westeros that wouldn't work here and called it wishful thinking. Under normal circumstances, I would have ignored it. But considering how… unfriendly you're acting right now, I have a feeling that you're not processing my request because you don't like me."

"Yes, I don't like you," Shin quickly answered. Even Sam was surprised at how direct the quartermaster was being. "I don't what prompted the general to grant you a commission ahead of more suitable candidates, all of whom took the examinations and spent years working their way up the chain of command. But I'll be damned before I treat a white devil with any regard, especially one who is up-jumped."

Benjen flared through his nostrils. "I understand that. But your prejudices are putting my brigade, the troops I command, at risk. Are they worth your dislike for me?"

"Your troops as you call them are merely chaff from the wheat," Shin shrugged. "And also, you are inexperienced in this land and you'll see soon enough why a gwailo shall not rise in the empire." He then barked to the guards, who opened the screen doors. "You may take your leave, Captain Stark."

Benjen stood up, exchanging an angry glance with Quartermaster Shin before leaving. He turned around saw Sam following him.

"My lord, I am sorry that I wasn't able to temper Quartermaster Shin's words," Sam apologized.

Benjen shook his head while grinning. "I don't blame you, Lord Tarly. You only said what was the truth and I am glad for it, because now I have a better understanding of the obstacles that are in front of me."

"What do you plan to do? If that yapian is more potent than the milk of the poppy and your troops are addicted to it, you might face some resistance," Sam explained.

"I can't have troops under my command addicted to substances. It'll take away from their effectiveness in battle," Benjen responded.

"And as uncooperative as Quartermaster Shin is, he does have a point. We're what they say 'white devils' and they may not follow your lead because of that simple fact," Sam continued.

"Well, I guess I'll have to charm them," Benjen answered.

"What do you plan on doing?" Sam inquired.

"I'll show the troops what a Stark and a man of the Night's Watch can do on the field and to those who thinks that they can shirk their duties. They were not forced, but chose to be in the army and I'll remind them of what is expected of those who decided to bear arms out of their own free will," Benjen outlined.

Sam nodded. "Well, good luck, Lord Stark. I shall do what I can to change Quartermaster Shin's mind, but do what you must."

"Thank you, Lord Tarly. You shall hear of my progress tonight."

Benjen rode back out to his brigade's campgrounds. Shaking off the awe he felt at the Golden Empire's weaponry and military organization, he scrutinized the troops under his command more closely. They were unkempt and uncaring for their duties as soldiers. He also saw that they were eyeing him with indifference, showing how little they regarded him. How could I have missed this? I was First Ranger of the Night's Watch and I dealt with all manners of men. It seems to not have been enough.

Benjen dismounted his horse and entered his command pavilion, where he was greeted by Minoru Lim. "Start talking, Lieutenant."

"Captain?" Lim was confused.

"How extensive is the problem regarding the yapian?"

Lim blinked before sighing. "So you know."

"I had more than a few words with Quartermaster Shin just recently and he told me that the reason my request for more black powder weaponry was denied was because of the yapian problem among the troops. So, how extensive is it?" Benjen was running out of patience, mostly due to letting his guard down.

"The previous commander ran a scheme that proved quite profitable. He cut in many of the junior officers and they distributed the yapian to the troops in exchange for their monthly wages. Yapian is quite addictive and I've seen the soldiers remain in their sheets while not maintaining their weapons properly."

"Were you in on it?" Benjen asked.

Lim shook his head. "I've done many things in my life, but believe me when I say that I will never be in a position where I can take from the troops. Unfortunately, the commander did not share my thinking and I found out that he was going to create a 'accident' where he and some of the other officers could eliminate me quietly. Before they could, I fled to headquarters and informed General Kitara of what was going on. The next day, he rode with two thousand men and executed the commander and anyone else involved in the scheme on the spot."

Benjen pursed his lips. "So, you snitched on your comrades in order to save your own skin."

"It was me or them," Lim defended himself. "And you can hate me all you want, but I was not going to die for their greed."

Benjen eyed Lieutenant Lim up and down. He could certainly sympathize with Lim's position, but snitches were looked down upon everywhere and who knew if Lim would snitch on Benjen if it meant saving his own skin.

"You help me root out the yapian problem, you will have gained my trust, Lieutenant," Benjen offered.

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Where do the troops usually go to smoke the yapian?"

"Usually, the mess hall."

Where they get their meals? Oh, this is bad, Benjen groaned. "Come with me."

Benjen stomped to the mess hall, a pavilion also with screen doors but it only had one large room. Sliding the doors open, he was shocked to see the room darkened and many of the troops lying on the wooden floor. On the many low tables were the smoked remains of the golden-brown yapian and the pipes that they smoked it from. That stench hit Benjen's nose as hard as a blizzard north of the Wall and he fought the urge to allow any of it pass into his body even by accident.

But what disturbed was how… out they were. He had seen drunkenness in the tavern before, but the northmen were hard drinkers and could be counted on to either till the fields or wield the sword the next day. However, this surpassed all shock that came when Benjen witnessed drunkenness, as they all seemed to be still. It was as if their bodies were merely there while their souls were somewhere else and he couldn't for the life of him understand how such a substance could have such an effect on a person. He did experience the effects of milk of the poppy, but the effects of yapian were much more potent as Kang Shin warned.

"They don't even try to hide it," Benjen fumed before turning to Lieutenant Lim. "Get them up."

Lieutenant Lim shook his head. "Captain, it's best if we let this run its course. No matter how hard we try to get them out of their daze, the effects of yapian are too strong to be overcome through sheer effort."

"That's because you haven't tried hard enough!" Benjen finally lost it. He then went for the nearest soldier and pulled him up. "Get up, soldier! At attention!" Benjen yelled in nihongo. Seeing no response, he went to another soldier and found that he was also out. Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Benjen went to the well, pulled out a bucket of water, walked back to the mess pavilion, and splashed water onto the nearest soldiers.

"EVERYONE OUT IN THE ASSEMBLY AREA NOW!" Benjen shouted. At least that time, he got some of their attention.

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers who got out of his daze asked in nihongo.

"I am your commander, Benjen Stark," Benjen said through gritted teeth. "Fall out now!"

"Piss off," the soldier replied.

"I beg your pardon?" Benjen was shocked at the disrespect that the soldier was giving.

"We're not taking orders from no gwailo," the soldier answered.

"You are speaking to your superior officer!" Lieutenant Lim bellowed. "You will maintain discipline or you shall be punished accordingly."

"And I'm not following orders from no snitch, either," the soldier shot back.

Deciding that enough was enough, Benjen walked to the soldier, grabbed him by the robes, and threw him outside of the pavilion. Whatever soldiers were not dazed by the yapian began watching Benjen as he was about to lay a beating on the soldier who dared show him disrespect. He was their commanding officer, but this bordered on insubordination and he needed to show their consequences.

"Go ahead, hit me," the soldier challenged. That confused Benjen.

"You don't care that I lay a hand on you?"

"The previous commander did it. He withheld our wages and made us buy his yapian. He said that it would help us fight better, but it just incapacitated us. Some of us wanted our wages, but when we asked, he just beat us along with the other officers. He said that we're not better than dogs. So, you hit me hard, just like they did."

Inexplicably, Benjen let go of the soldier's robe and stared into his eyes. In that moment, he could see that while the soldier was partly to blame for getting himself addicted, he also saw hopelessness in his eyes, hopelessness due to the fact that their officers, the men charged with leading and protecting them, had abused them so. Even in Westeros, the officers could treat their men however they saw fit. Why is this place becoming more similar to home with each passing moment?

"What's your name, soldier?" Benjen helped him up, thoroughly surprising him.

"Baekyong," the soldier replied.

"How long have you served in the army?"

"Six years."

"And when was the last time you were paid your wages?"

"Ten moons ago."

"And that was when the previous commander started making you all consume yapian?" The soldier nodded before Benjen turned to Lieutenant Lim. "Do we have the coin give these soldiers their pay?"

Lieutenant Lim shook his head. "We'll have to submit a request to army headquarters. But considering that this is a matter of paying the troops their overdue wages, it shouldn't be difficult."

Benjen rubbed his temples. "Is there any way that we can pay them now?"

Lieutenant Lim rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Now that you mention it, we do have a cache of silver notes that the army uses to pay its troops when it can't pay in taels. The troops will have to report to the paymaster at army headquarters so that they can cash out those notes."

"Good enough. Get a few of the men not dazed to round up the troops and have them report to the assembly area. Tell them that they will receive their wages," Benjen ordered.

"What about the yapian?"

Benjen knew that as long as that golden-brown paste was in their camp, they could never perform fully as soldiers. "Gather a few other men and some of the officers, ones that you can trust, and collect all pouches of that substance. We're burning them."

"You sure about that, Captain?"

"I was directed by General Kitara to bring the troops back to combat readiness. I cannot do that while that paste is in our camp, so an example must be made," Benjen explained.

Lieutenant Lim wanted to say more, but thought better and carried out Benjen's orders. Some of the higher-ranked soldiers, who advanced up the army by staying past their eight-year enlistments, poured hot water on the dazed soldiers, which was enough to get them out of whatever the yapian or opium did to them. Using clubs, they forced all of the soldiers onto the assembly area while a few others burst into the mess hall and their living quarters to pile their many pouches of yapian in the front of the assembly area.

Benjen dressed in the armor of a Yi-Tish officer, which consisted of rectangular plates of metal that were riveted between the fabric layers and the securing rivet heads were visible on the outside. The shoulder pads and chest armor were adorned with the phoenix, a creature with many good meanings associated with it. The phoenix symbolized the union of the Maiden-Made-of-Light and the Lion of Night and each part of its body represented something significant. The head represented virtue, the wing represented duty, the back represented propriety, the abdomen spoke of credibility, and the chest represented mercy. Great animal to use as a symbol, Benjen mused.

Other components of his armor included a scarlet cape, a helmet also topped with a phoenix, and the leather sandals. He also tied the sword that he took with him from the Wall, the sword that saved his life on several rangings north of the Wall, including that one where he saw Othor die. Keep focused.

Eventually, the men were assembled, but were not at proper attention.

"Attention, brigade!" one of the officers shouted. They stood straighter, but Benjen could still see that they were loose.

"Soldiers, we have not been properly introduced and as your commander, the fault lies with me," Benjen announced through Lieutenant Lim, who translated. "I am Benjen Stark, third son of Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I have been appointed by General Joon Kitara to be your commander with the charge to bring this brigade back to full fighting capacity in light of your previous commander's abuses."

The soldiers still looked at him with apathy.

"Right, you don't know who I am or who my family is. I am merely a white devil that knows nothing of how things work in these lands and considering your most recent experiences with officers, how am I any different?" Benjen decided to show how a Stark dealt with matters of importance, and they didn't need any pretty words.

"To be frank with all of you, I don't need you to like me," Benjen continued. "I have no more desire to command the most miserable bunch of fighting men I have ever seen in my many years wielding a blade than you have to serve under a white devil. But those are your orders, and your orders are to obey mine. I have been through many a harsh winter and have seen things that you can only see in your worst nightmares. So I know the reality of battle and that every man only gets what he earns. If you obey my commands and follow my lead, I promise to mold you into the finest fighting unit that this empire has seen and to keep as much of you alive in the battles ahead."

The men started to become interested, but it wasn't enough. That's when Benjen walked to the pile of yapian and poured oil on the pile from a bucket he took from one of the higher-ranked soldiers, prompting strong reactions from the men. "However, I cannot rely on you if you are continually in a poppy-induced daze. From now on, no yapian is allowed in camp and anyone who is caught with even a small amount will be punished accordingly," Benjen warned.

"And what punishment are you thinking of, captain?" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Do you really wish for me to answer that question?" Benjen stared daggers at the soldier who dared to be audacious at that moment.

"What are you doing to do? You're just a gwailo who's not fit for command!"

Lieutenant Lim sucked in a breath, as did the officers. No matter their personal feelings towards Benjen, they would never dare disrespect their commanding officer in public. Either the commander ignored such an attempt to undermine to their authority, or they would deal with it quickly before it got out of control. For Benjen, he fell in the latter category.

"Come here, soldier," Benjen controlled his anger while pointing to the spot in front of him. When he was being uncooperative, Benjen moved through the men and dragged him to the front by his robes. Then, he remembered that strength was usually respected at the Watch, so he decided to take that lesson to heart to put this soldier in his place.

"If you really think me unfit for command, then cut me, if you can," Benjen challenged as he unsheathed his dagger and threw it to the ground in front of the soldier. The soldier blinked and he looked hesitant. "I see that you now worry about the consequences, but who's going to tell on you all the way out here? After all, I'm just a white devil and any harm to my body will be seen as inconsequential, wouldn't it?"

Benjen waited as the soldier took a few moments to make up his mind. Everyone watched nervously, never expecting the commander to display such recklessness in order to prove a point. Then again, I was part of the Night's Watch. It takes a certain kind of crazy to want to conform yourself to a life of snow and to fighting wildlings.

Finally, the soldier went for the dagger, which Benjen sadly expected. Before he could start slashing with the short blade, Benjen easily caught the dagger before throwing a hard punch at his left cheek. He then kneed the soldier hard in the chest, causing the wind to be knocked out of him and to fall on his knees. Benjen then took the arm that held the dagger and twisted it in a way that caused a sickening crack, making the soldier yell in pain.

"Thank you," Benjen sarcastically said as he took the dagger out of his hand and held it against the soldier's throat. "What's your name?"

The soldier breathed while trying to hide his embarrassment. "Gaoheng," he finally replied.

"You done, Gaoheng?" Benjen brought the dagger back into its sheath and forced him up, Gaoheng still holding on to his twisted arm.

"Yes, captain," the soldier finally answered.

"How long were you in the army?"

"Seven years, captain," Gaoheng replied.

"So, you only have one more year before your enlistment is completed, correct?"

"Yes, captain."

"And when was the last time you were paid your wages?"

"Ten moons ago, same as the rest of the men here. That bastard took our wages in exchange for the yapian and we thought it a good deal. However, by the time we remembered that we needed to send our wages back to our families, we were too much under the influence of the yapian."

"Is that why you joined the army? To help your family?"

Gaoheng sighed. "I'm just a poor farmer, and whatever harvests I am able to obtain goes directly to paying taxes. As a soldier, I get a temporary tax exemption while earning twenty silver taels a moon, which is enough to ensure that my family doesn't starve. I don't how smallfolk such as myself are treated where you come from, captain, but we're stuck here in this station forever. And the yapian allows us an escape from our responsibilities, if even for a moment."

Benjen then saw his troops in another light. Getting abused from their officers and from their society, these poor souls had no choice but to join the army, as there were no alternatives for them. He could sympathize with their desire to escape via the yapian, a purpose that drinking served back in Westeros.

However, Benjen reminded himself of why he got the pouches in the pile in the first place. Grabbing a torch, he threw it on the pile and the yapian pouches caught fire quickly.

"As I said, I will not tolerate any more of this stuff in this camp starting right now," Benjen announced. "However, I will provide compensation to all of the men who suffered under my predecessors. Report to the Brigade Lieutenant Lim and he shall issue you backpay for ten moons in the form of silver notes. And as I said, follow my lead and you shall become the finest unit of warriors in the land."

Benjen gestured to Lim, who ordered the brigade to fall in. That time, they all quickly followed orders and lined up to follow him to get paid.

Benjen watched as each soldier collected their silver note, eyeing each of them. Many of them were grateful to get their overdue wages while a few still stared at him uneasily. He was going to have his work cut out in the moons ahead.


Jon watched as Benjen studied the manuals of Golden Empire more deeply. Of course, he had Sam to help him understand each of the texts, but he was picking up each of the tongues very quickly.

Benjen specifically was looking over the manuals that covered the black powder weapons. After a closer inspection of them, he found that the black powder weapons used by the army were inaccurate at long range. Moreover, the hwacha was only meant to rain down as many arrows over a wide area to scare off fast-moving targets, not to kill with every arrow. The tanegashima were slow to load and their firing mechanisms consisted of a burnt rope that touched a bit of black powder, setting off a spark that fired the weapon but the powder was susceptible to wind, rain, or other natural conditions. Furthermore, black powder weapons might have been easy to use by the common footman, but they were heavy and the tanegashima needed a metal pole or some bamboo stand to make it easier for the footman to hold it and be accurate.

"No wonder Lord Joon was hesitant to use more black powder weapons," Benjen thought aloud. "Each tanegashima weighs about ten pounds, while a longsword only weighs three. A bowman could let loose fifteen arrows in the time a gunner would take to load, charge, and fire once. Most importantly, the effective range for the tanegashima is only up to three hundred feet compared to one thousand and two hundred for bowman, and that distance is enough a lead ball to be easily deflected by decent armor. How could I have missed this?"

Jon never expected to see this side of his uncle. He saw him be great warrior and a good leader, but he never thought him to be meticulous. Then again, being in a new land and commanding new troops must've brought out sides to his uncle out of necessity.

"Anything that I can do to help, Uncle Benjen?" Jon offered.

"You focus on what you have to do, Jon," Benjen kept his eyes on the manuals. "This is my concern, Jon, and therefore my burden."

"As you wish, uncle," Jon nodded before standing up from the wooden floor.

Jon went outside Kushiro's main keep. It was night and looking up, Jon was struck at how clear the sky was. He could see thousands upon thousands of stars, which was always a mesmerizing sight no matter where he was in the world.

Jon then walked over to Ghost, who was moving around the courtyard. "Hey, boy," he brushed his hand across his head and his back. He noticed that Ghost was feeling happier than usual, judging from how he trotting around and from his faint grin. "You seem pretty happy tonight. What's going on?"

Ghost looked at a corner of the courtyard and Jon saw Chanhee walk over to the direwolf. What surprised Jon was how… relaxed Ghost was around her. It had only been a few weeks since Chanhee arrived at Kushiro, but she had fell naturally into the flow of the place. Lady Myung had her work in the kitchens and handle the laundry while Lord Joon became curious as to how able the Chogo woman was with arms.

Unsurprisingly, Chanhee performed terribly with Hoon Ti. However, she had tenacity and continued to fight even though she had no weapons and was battered. Hoon Ti said to her in the Chogo tongue, "You have spirit, Chanhee. But you are like Jon Snow here, in that you are in circumstances beyond your comprehension."

As for Jon, he trained more intensely under Hoon Ti ever since he received word of Ned's death. Besides bringing help, Jon needed to improve himself, both mentally and physically, and thus requested Hoon to make his training harder. Strangely, Hoon complied and told him that personal losses are powerful incentives to self-improvement. Jon took his word for it, as he already knew some part of Hoon's own personal losses.

By this point, Jon was able to run fifteen miles through the grasslands a day and able to withstand the various poses and forms that Hoon subjected him to. However, during one session, Hoon said to Jon when he asked when they would practice with real weapons, "Patience, Jon Snow. I understand what loss can do, but as I had to learn, slow is fast and fast is slow. Take your time with each stance and make sure to get the form right."

"Shifu, my family is suffering back in Westeros. I cannot wait for long to get back there," Jon answered.

"Spoken like a man devoted to his family," Hoon chuckled. "And yet spoken like a young man with nothing holding him back. A dangerous combination and too often has this world seen the consequences of such."

"What do you mean?"

"To make this more apt, let's talk about Rhaegar Targaryen."

My father? "What about him?"

"I've heard tell of who the last scion of House Targaryen was. A great warrior, a master at the harp and song, and a loving father. However, he was just like every other young man who didn't think of the consequences of their actions. Personally, I don't believe it when people say that he kidnapped Lyanna Stark." My mother. "Such an act is against everything I was told of him. However, he grew up entitled and was born at the top of the hierarchy. All of his needs were attended to and he could expect to inherit the throne when his father, the so-called Mad King, passed on."

Jon listened intently.

"I don't know exactly what happened during the Rebellion, but all of his actions were irresponsible and his family paid for it. He became weakened by a false sense of security and he died for that."

Jon winced at how lowly Hoon talked of his father. He couldn't deny that some of his words made sense, but at the same time, he didn't know everything.

"He allowed his heritage and his confidence to rule his mind, but he must've forgot how powerful hate can be and Robert Baratheon was full of it for him. He should have waited for a more opportune moment instead of meeting at the Trident, and he paid for his impatience with his life," Hoon continued.

Jon gulped. That last part, he couldn't deny.

"So, you see. Impatience and haste is the ruin of many men and I've seen that happen too often. Trust me when I said slow is fast and fast is slow."

That's what Jon followed. He exhibited patience and carefulness whenever he trained, putting aside his desire to hold weapons and ultimately Longclaw and Dark Sister. Hoon is wrong about my father, because he doesn't know everything. But would it matter if he knew the truth?

Going back to Ghost and Chanhee, Jon continued to pet his direwolf while Chanhee smiled at Ghost.

"You… pet… if… wish," Jon said in broken guanhua.

"Really?" Chanhee asked, surprised. Jon nodded, while Chanhee placed a hand on Ghost's head. To his relief, Ghost basked in the attention of the newcomer.

Jon was still not good in any of three tongues, but he was improving. However, here was a woman who had spirit and was not bad to look at and he couldn't find a way to talk to her fully. Jon felt that this was perhaps what loneliness was, being around people who couldn't understand. No, I'm not alone. I have Sam, Uncle Benjen, and my family back in Westeros. I also have Aunt Daenerys, wherever she may be.

"Well, Uncle Benjen is settling in quite well with his troops and Sam is doing very good so far," Jon talked aloud. He knew that Chanhee would not understand him, but it still felt good to talk to someone other than himself. "And I just completed another day of training. Robb is King in the North and I don't know what happened to Arya and Sansa. I hope Bran and Rickon are doing all right back in Winterfell. And my family is scattered all over the world."

Family. "Before I came here, I found out something that shocked me. And I thought that my family in Winterfell was my flesh and blood. They are, to a point, although Winterfell was never home. And yet, I still feel anger at the one who took away the man who was a father to me. The man didn't sire me, but he protected me all the same and I feel angry that I am not there to help avenge him."

Jon could only imagine what they did to Ned's corpse after executing him in King's Landing.

"My shifu is saying things that make me question what I know, but I also know he doesn't hold all of the facts. I guess that's one of the great mysteries of the world, knowing when to heed sound advice and when to hold on to something you know in your heart to be right. Uncle Benjen said that the gods have a purpose for all of us, but why have we come here? And what's worse, I'm saying all of this and you can't understand me."

Jon knew that he had no right to feel bitter, as Chanhee was only listening. But it didn't do much to lessen his frustration.

"But I do," Jon turned around and saw Sam, who surprisingly had Seong beside him.

"Sam? What are you doing out?"

"I could ask the same of you, although you already have company," Sam pointd out.

"Looks like Ghost likes our new woman guest," Jon quipped.

"I was talking to Seong about Ned Stark and he has something to say to you," Sam said.

Jon raised his eyebrows, surprised that the son of Lord Joon wanted to have words with him. "Okay. What does he want to talk to me about?"

Seong spoke in guanhua, which Sam translated. "There is an old story that talks about men avenging a man they held dear. There was a lord that visited the imperial capital on official business and while there, one of the most senior court officials began to taunt and offend him. The details are not clear, as people are divided on whether the official may have simply ridiculed the lord or if the official may have demanded unacceptable bribes. Either way, the lord lost patience with the official, drew his blade, and cut the official across the face."

Jon became more interested in Seong's tale.

"That lord was immediately arrested and was told by other court officials that drawing a blade within the imperial palace was a crime punishable by death. That lord was sentenced, on the spot, to commit a ritual suicide, which involved sticking a blade into one's midsection and cut out his own innards. The lord did as he was ordered. His lands were forfeit, and his family was ruined," Seong continued through Sam.

Jon shook his head, not satisfied with how the tale was progressing. However, he kept his mouth shut and allowed Seong to continue.

"On the lord's death, the 300 retainers loyal to him became without a master, which is a fate that the Yi-Tish consider very dishonorable. However, forty-seven retainers considered it a grave injustice that the official was left unpunished and they resolved to restore honor to the name of their lord and his house."

Jon kept his hand on Ghost's head, eager as to where the tale would end.

"However, the official was feared reprisals and had increased his personal bodyguard, which prompted retainers to split up. Some took jobs as workmen. Others became monks. Their leader settled in Asabhad and fell into debauched ways: drinking, gambling, and partying night after night with prostitutes. One man from his province was so disgusted on finding the leader drunk in the gutter that that he struck him and spat on him for failing in his duties as a warrior. The official's spies reported all this back to him and after several months, he concluded that the warriors had started new lives and therefore reduced his security."

But that wasn't the case, was it?

"Meanwhile, some of the retainers had taken positions as craftsmen in the official's household and learned its layout from the inside out. When the time was right for action, the leader travelled from Asabhad to the capital, and the warriors assembled for a final meal, aware that it would be their last. The next morning, they stormed the official's household and were mindful not to harm any innocent bystanders."

Done like true warriors, Jon mused.

"When they finally cornered the official, the leader addressed him respectfully and explained they were there to avenge their lord. The leader invited the official to commit ritual suicide, but when he refused, he cut off his head and washed it before taking his head to his lord's grave. The warriors then paid the temple monks for their own burials before turning themselves into imperial officials. They were found guilty of murder and all committed suicide together."

That's it? Jon was rather disappointed at how that ended. Usually, the stories Old Nan told him ended with the heroes triumphing and living the rest of their lives in peace. But not this one.

"What was the point in them avenging their lord if they died anyway?" Jon asked with exasperation.

"The point of this story is that justice might come slow, but it comes eventually," Sam translated Seong's words. "Your Ned Stark was executed in the same manner, but you won't do him or his family any good by going back so unprepared. Take the time you have and then strike back."

Jon was still in his youth and it was hard for him to take his time with anything. However, considering that Seong was the second person to say that to him, he began to realize the truth in their words.

"And so," Seong suddenly said in the common tongue. "You… be… ready… to… revenge… Stark."

Jon nodded, holding out his hand. "Thank you, Lord Seong."

Seong dipped his head. "No… mention."

Jon also dipped his head in respect.

Time… Suddenly, a thought crossed Jon's mind.

"Sam, just curious. Did you notice anything strange when I was burnt by that lantern?"

Sam was confused at the sudden change in the conversation. "Um, you're hand was singed, but it recovered pretty quickly. Why do you ask?"

"Regarding my… family," Jon was careful not to make any direct reference to his Targaryen heritage. "Was it a common trait for them to be unburnt?"

"Not every one of them had it," Sam answered. "Do you think you have it?"

"Let me try," Jon quickly walked to the nearest brazier, with Ghost, Chanhee, Sam, and Seong following. He held out his hand to the flame, slowly moving it over the fire.

"Be careful, Jon," Sam warned.

Jon then had his hand immersed in the flame, to the shock of Seong and Chanhee. While the first time he touched that lantern was… painful if lacking a better term, he only felt a certain heat this time. Pulling his hand out before it became more than uncomfortable, Jon saw that there were only slight blisters and burns on his hand. When he touched it, he didn't feel much pain.

So does this mean… Jon looked at Seong, Sam, and Chanhee, all three of them showing looks of unbelief at his hand and what he just did.

"Your hand be more burnt than that and your skin should be peeling," Seong exclaimed while Sam interpreted.

Jon could only assume that given the time he had to accept his Targaryen heritage, it must've unlocked certain aspects that he didn't existed.

"What… going… on?" Chanhee asked.

"I don't know," Jon shrugged.

Meanwhile, Joon looked at the sight with interest. Initially suspicious of Jon, he now had proof that there indeed was more to Jon than he was telling him. Only a few people in the world could escape a flame relatively unharmed.

Joon walked back to his room, contemplating on what should be done about the new discovery.

A/N: Regarding that tale, yes. I basically copied the 47 Ronin. But I feel that the quintessential Japanese tale is apt for this story, particularly Jon's training.

Benjen is having difficulty commanding his troops, but he's taken the first productive step into molding his brigade back into a fighting unit. And I hope that I explained well on the limitations of the gunpowder weapons (for those wanting to see more medieval combat, don't worry. We'll see plenty of that)

Jon is also bonding with Seong and Chanhee. Three guesses on the purpose of Chanhee in the story ;)

Also, regarding the unburnt trait, it'll be explained more. But now, Lord Joon is suspicious and it won't be long before he decides to dig for the truth.

Again, stay safe in this crazy situation.