His ambitions didn't match his karma
As warlords went, Yabu wasn't much. He had his own territory but he was never his own man, always a lieutenant general, never the supreme commander. In the wide open era of the Sengoku, there were those content to serve and those filled with raging ambition. Yabu was in the latter group. Knowing he was mentally outgunned by the top warlords, he reasoned he could make up for that with sheer treachery. He may not be able to out-think you, but he could bribe a cook to poison you. Such were his plans for advancement in this weary world.
The problem with making your bed with treachery, though, is you never get a good night's sleep again. Yabu's soul frayed around the edges, never leaving his winter of discontent. Yet he saw only one friend in this world: his ambition. And because his treachery served his ambition, he couldn't kick it out of bed. Self-conflict like this is what made Yabu always be a second tier warlord. He lived in a snake pit of asps, his life consumed by the need to constantly dodge their bites. Malcontents like Yabu always incurred a fatal decision trying to operate from such a poisonous base.
But on this spring day, Yabu was still master of his domain, his treasonous plans yet to be unmasked. And unless his liege lord was present, Yabu held ultimate sway in the villages and farms, his commands obeyed unconditionally. News came of foreign barbarians washing ashore from a ship wrecked in the previous night's storm. Foreigners at this time were considered part curiosity, part cattle. Unless one could prove useful in the power struggles vying across the country, what use could one possibly have?
Gunnery tactics developed by me
The foreign barbarians had proven useful with the introduction of the gun. Warlords who adopted this new technology could quickly gain the upper hand. And as intermediaries for trade with China, bringing much desired silk to the Japans, the foreigners proved useful in that as well. But a few measly sailors washing ashore - from a country with no established connections no less - counted as much as the lives of insects.
The sailors, however, did not share those same feelings, carrying the Western values that every life was sacred. But with their rude manners and arrogance, they did nothing to acquit themselves of the title of barbarians and were quickly thrown into a hole. As punishment and to ensure future obedience, one sailor had to be chosen for death. The sailors refused to choose so the samurai dragged one of their own choosing out - and thus we come to the Night of a Thousand Screams.
Yabu's choice for execution for the boy was to be slowly boiled alive. This sort of torture greatly excited Yabu. For a few precious hours he could give voice to his tormented soul as the boy was raised and lowered over and over into the scorching vapors. The cries of a doomed fate mixed with unbearable pain also scorched the souls of any who heard them. To Yabu it was a symphony, a chorus of sweet agony to be cherished. He only wished there could be a way to keep the boy alive longer.
These idealists who think their lives count!
As the light of dawn brought a merciful end to the horrific howling, the villagers peered into one another's passing eyes as if to confirm the mutual repulsion of Yabu's rotted soul. Their only consolation being of that it was a barbarian's death and not one of their own. Had Yabu tried this trick with a fellow warlord, the infamy of it would have brought a swift retribution by appalled samurai eager to let him know he had gone too far. But Yabu held unwavering and doubtless confidence none of his countrymen would question the death of a mere barbarian - someone who by his very nature of being foreign probably deserved to die anyway.
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LAHORE: Of the 60 cross-border predator strikes carried out by the Afghanistan-based American drones in Pakistan between January 14, 2006 and April 8, 2009, only 10 were able to hit their actual targets, killing 14 wanted al-Qaeda leaders, besides perishing 687 innocent Pakistani civilians. The success percentage of the US predator strikes thus comes to not more than six per cent.
Figures compiled by the Pakistani authorities show that a total of 701 people, including 14 al-Qaeda leaders, have been killed since January 2006 in 60 American predator attacks targeting the tribal areas of Pakistan. Two strikes carried out in 2006 had killed 98 civilians while three attacks conducted in 2007 had slain 66 Pakistanis, yet none of the wanted al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders could be hit by the Americans right on target. However, of the 50 drone attacks carried out between January 29, 2008 and April 8, 2009, 10 hit their targets and killed 14 wanted al-Qaeda operatives. Most of these attacks were carried out on the basis of intelligence believed to have been provided by the Pakistani and Afghan tribesmen who had been spying for the US-led allied forces stationed in Afghanistan.
At least we can console ourselves with the thought foreign lives don't count and wrap ourselves in blind faith slumber of our President. But I can tell you with 100% certainty these murders will come back to haunt us in the worst possible way.
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