Meiying had the duty helping Yun Ming Manage the for defense. She was fresh enough to her new role that she still enjoyed the responsibility—making a special effort to be clean, neat, with her qi armor well-polished, dressed as a qi warrior. She knew that many of the older men resented taking orders from a woman, and she understood that a perfect turnout helped.
She set the guards at the main gate and marched the duty detachment to their posts, relieving each post in turn—challenge, secret codes, posting by the numbers, and accepting the salutes—she loved the ceremony. She also loved seeing the effect on the farmers and their families. Farmers clean and oil their tools, tour their livestock, morning and night. They recognize a patient craftsman when they see one, even when the craft is war.
