by Fred Yu
“I won’t fall for your tricks,” Ko Sun said. “You lured me here—”
“I lured you here to kill you,” Feng said, finishing the sentence for him. “When we joined the army, we didn’t expect to die of old age. Today was supposed to be no different. But today, your own commander launched thousands of arrows to kill his target, knowing you were in the line of fire. Today, you were cheap collateral to personal ambition like every other sergeant lying here.”
Ko Sun pressed his lips together and said nothing. Feng held up the porcelain jar.
“This liquid,” he began, “is the most horrible concoction the Venom Sect could create. It’s a flesh dissolver. Pour it on any open wound, and the flesh will burn away. I was going to use this on you. You can believe that. But I’m leaving the jar in my pocket for now. How hard you scream at the end of your life depends on how delusional you are in your loyalty to the Judge.”
Ko Sun’s lips curled back into a sneer. He broke out in a low, choked laugh. “And what would a boy like you do with any information I give you? Look around you. The Judge could take whatever life he wants.”
“He hasn’t been able to take mine.”
Ko Sun gripped his stomach wound tighter. “And what are you going to do? Fight the Judge? Do you have any idea how big his army is, how advanced his weapons are? Do you realize how many people work for him?”
“Throughout history, how many dynasties collapsed because the people didn’t stand behind the leader? Look around you. Do you think the people will stand behind the Judge?”
Ko Sun paused and gazed for a long time into Feng’s eyes as if reading his soul. Finally he exhaled, his lips quivering, his body twitching in light spasms. “I don’t have much time. What do you want to know?”
“Who is the Judge?”
“He’s the emperor’s nephew.”
“Everyone knows the emperor has no sons. Is he next in line for the throne?”
“He is,” Ko Sun said, straining harder for air. “The emperor is old and sick. He . . . the Judge makes all the decisions now.”
“Why did he raise this secret army? Who does he want to attack?”
“He’s . . . He’s after the Tiger Generals.”
“The Tiger Generals? The country is already going to be his. Why attack the people who protect the country?”
Ko Sun shook his head. His blood was draining from his body, and he could not remain conscious for much longer. “Each Tiger General has a banner,” he managed to say. “The Judge wants all four banners.”
“Banners? What can these banners do?”
Ko Sun’s face became deathly pale, and large beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
“When he becomes emperor,” Feng continued, “he can order the Tiger Generals to hand over the banners. Why raise an army to get something that will eventually be his?”
Ko Sun shook his head again. “Tiger Generals guard the banners. They guard with their lives . . .”
“I see,” Feng said. “So, even the emperor can’t take them. How big is the Judge’s army?”
Ko Sun’s eyes began to close, but he bit his lips and struggled to remain alert. Perhaps he really wanted to embrace this one final chance to retaliate against the Judge and answer Feng’s questions before he died. “Infantry, twenty thousand. Zeng Xi brings fifty thousand. Zhuge Nu, ten thousand.”
Feng gasped. “Ten thousand Zhuge Nu?”
Ko Sun nodded, barely able to hang on. He clenched his fist against his wound, grimacing in pain, and continued. “Light cavalry, one thousand.”
“And siege weapons?”
“Zeng Xi has siege weapons.”
“Why would he have siege weapons? Who built them?”
“I don’t know.”
“I thought Zeng Xi commanded the imperial army.”
“The general leading the imperial army reports to him.”
“Where are they? Where are these armies?”
“Thirty miles outside . . . outside . . .” Ko Sun couldn’t continue.
“Where? Where!” Feng leaned forward to shout.
“City of a Thousand Heroes,” Ko Sun sputtered. “Not Zeng Xi. Zeng Xi has not yet mobilized. He was sent to capture the Red Crest.”
Feng fell silent. He had so many questions he needed to ask, and he was left with so little time to ask them. Yet, the words would not form. “The Judge is launching a full-scale war for three banners?” he finally whispered.
“Two more banners . . . He has two banners . . . already.” Ko Sun closed his eyes and became limp.
“Which two?” Feng shouted. He reached out and grabbed Ko Sun’s lifeless body. “Wake up! He has General Lo’s and who else’s? Did Zeng Xi give him General Lo’s banner? How did he get the second one?”
Ko Sun was already dead. Feng fell back on the dry hill, large drops of sweat rolling down his neck. The Tiger Generals were in trouble. The Judge had gotten to one of them, perhaps harmed or even killed one to acquire the banner. Wasn’t that what happened to General Lo, who was somehow sent into Mongolia to fight the Silencer? Perhaps his father had met the same fate.
None of this made any sense. The Judge was already next in line to become emperor. How much more power was there in the world?
Feng sensed Ah Go sitting next to him. He stared at the devastation. Only Ko Sun was supposed to die today. He was going to release the soldiers, give the hostages food and money, and send them all home. He was going to continue north with Han and Ah Go by the following morning. Yet, because of his own naïve mistake, the Judge was allowed to kill over a hundred people before his eyes if only for the one chance to kill the man with the Red Crest.
“The Judge commands an undeclared army on Chinese soil,” Feng began. “No one knows how he came up with the money to train and arm so many. No one knows how the nephew of the emperor can possess so much power while the emperor does nothing about it. Does it mean the emperor is permitting him to attack the Tiger Generals?”
A lingering gust of wind floated a thin layer of dried soil onto the bodies before they even stopped bleeding, and the long trickles of blood running down the hill, pooling and joining with other puddles on the road, were slowly covered with dirt.
“I can no longer stand by and let this Judge do whatever he wants,” Feng said. “He’s after these banners guarded by the Tiger Generals, and he will kill tens of thousands to get them. I have to try to stop him. I have to.”
“We have to.” It was Han, already standing behind them. He reached down, placed a hand on Feng’s shoulder, and sat down beside him.
“You’ll help me?” Feng asked. “Even after you’ve fulfilled your promise to the Orchid Farmer?”
“Yes,” Han said. “We have to work together to be powerful. Innocent civilians are getting mowed down for no reason. We have to put an end to this.” He turned to Ah Go. “We need you.”
“It’ll be my honor,” Ah Go said, facing them. “You two are the greatest warriors I’ve ever seen. Count on me.”
“I . . . I don’t know what to say,” Feng began. “I’ve lived my life with my eyes closed. I thought I was important. I’m a Tiger General’s son—of course I thought I was important. But the world is so much bigger, and meeting the two of you . . . I’ve never had a real brother, and all my friends are dead. You two have been like brothers to me. You taught me about the road ahead—that there is a road ahead for me. I would feel so honored if—”
“Yes!” Ah Go said, his face lighting up. “Let’s become sworn brothers. I don’t have brothers either, and I would celebrate for a year if you two became my brothers. Then, I can go home and tell my woman she’s now second place in the family.”
Han laughed. “Let’s do it. We’ll swear our oath in front of the people who gave their lives today. We’ll always remember this oath.”
“The three of us can make the world tremble,” Ah Go said.
Han motioned for him to stand. “Do we have alcohol?”
Ah Go produced a s
heepskin flask bulging with cheap liquor from the village. Han drew the Dart, planted it in front of him, and dropped to his knees. He held the flask and waited for Feng and Ah Go to do the same. Feng unhooked his leather belt, drew three needles, and pushed them halfway into the soil. Ah Go stabbed the ground with the Butterfly. Then, both lowered themselves to their knees along with Han.
Han began. “I, Chen Han, age twenty-two from Nanyue County, willingly accept Mu Feng and Ah Go as my sworn brothers. Though we cannot be born on the same day of the same year, we hope to die on the same day of the same year. Let this oath be binding on my honor and my name.”
He poured the liquor on the ground, then passed the flask to Feng.
Feng repeated the oath, declaring himself from the City of Stones and aged eighteen years. He poured the alcohol in front of him and handed the flask to Ah Go.
“I’m the youngest one here,” Ah Go said, repeating the vow. After he poured his liquor, he pulled the saber from the ground. “We need to exchange gifts. This saber is my most valuable possession. I offer it to my oldest brother.”
Han laughed. “How do you know I can use it?”
“Is there any weapon you don’t know how to use?” Feng asked.
Han received the Butterfly with both hands. “I’ve never learned how to use a bow and arrow. But Ah Go is so good at it that I’ll never need to learn.” He laid the saber aside, then pulled the Dart from the ground and presented it to Feng with both hands.
“I . . .” Feng trailed off, hesitating. “I’m not sure I can use a weapon like this.”
“My turn to ask you,” Han said. “Is there anything you’re not capable of learning?”
Feng lowered his eyes and received the sword with both hands. “I was fortunate enough to learn about humility and sacrifice this week. Maybe I can learn to use a sword.”
“I never understood how someone like you can be such a lousy fighter,” Ah Go said. “Why didn’t the Tiger General teach you or at least hire the best in the country to instruct you?”
“I don’t know. He wanted me to focus on my studies. He insisted I didn’t need to know how to fight. I never realized there was so much more out there.” Feng picked up his belt and silver gloves and handed them to Ah Go.
“These are perfect for you,” he said. “You like to bash people with your bare hands, and these gloves will allow you to break right through their weapons. With the needles you’ll have a medium-range weapon in addition to your bow and arrow.”
Ah Go received the gift with a big smile. “I love these,” he said. He pushed his hand into one of the gloves and straightened it until his entire forearm was protected. He turned to Han. “Slash me.”
Han swung the Butterfly around and swiped at his face, and Ah Go lifted his arm to deflect. The powerful blade bounced off his long gloves. “Amazing,” he whispered. The material was unscratched.
Han strapped the saber across his back and rose to his feet. “The villagers are coming out of their houses. We need to talk to them.”
* * *
The village was devastated. Elderly men and women came forth to claim their loved ones, screaming and crying over their untimely deaths. Words of regret and anger and hate reverberated through every household and around every covered body. It was almost sunset by the time the villagers finally calmed. They had lost half their capable men and women and most of their teenage boys, leaving behind the old and the young. Feng gave them his remaining money, a fortune to them, and promised to seek out those responsible and bring them to justice. He wanted to apologize for his mistake. He wanted to say something, promise somehow that he could one day atone for his foolishness. They had no patience for his words. They cursed and spat and threw cow manure until the three walked away.
Feng, Han, and Ah Go traveled on foot, the weight of the villagers’ suffering holding back any words they had for each other. Each relived his own solemn memories of the recent past, immersed in his own thoughts.
Feng spoke first, only to relay what he heard from Ko Sun. He told his brothers the Judge was the emperor’s nephew, next in line to take over the throne, and that despite this, he was trying to eliminate the Tiger Generals for some banners they guarded. He told them the Judge had a secret army of a mere twenty thousand foot soldiers plus one thousand in light cavalry. He did have Zeng Xi’s army of fifty thousand with heavy cavalry and siege weapons, but the most dangerous force was the Zhuge Nu. They had ten thousand rapid-fire archers.
It was late in the night when they stopped to build a fire, and for a long time they sat around it lost in their own thoughts.
“Do we know who the Judge plans to attack first?” Han asked, breaking the silence.
“General Yang,” Feng said. “The secret army is already positioned near the City of a Thousand Heroes, and they’re waiting for Zeng Xi to mobilize. But the fortresses are not built to guard against the rear. The front faces the barbarians and that’s where the heavy defenses are.”
“No one is expected to attack from the home side,” Han said.
“We have to help General Yang,” Feng said. “At least tell him where the enemy weapons are vulnerable. Here’s what I don’t understand. Even with Zeng Xi’s army and the Zhuge Nu, they don’t have enough men to invade the City of a Thousand Heroes, especially with General Yang guarding it. The Judge would suffer such heavy casualties that he would have nothing left to fight General Wu or my father.”
“What if it’s a ruse,” Ah Go suggested, “and the Judge is attacking the other two Tiger Generals instead?”
“Attack the other two simultaneously?” Feng asked. “He would need two hundred thousand men with siege weapons to attempt something like that.”
“We don’t know what his plan is,” Han said. “But war is upon them. If the Judge is out to kill the Tiger Generals, he won’t be using honorable tactics.”
“He may try to send assassins,” Ah Go said.
A chill ran through Feng’s back at the thought. His father’s mansion was well guarded and not easy to approach. Besides, he was the great Tiger General Mu. Who would dare attack him?
“The assassin wouldn’t know where the banners are,” Feng said. “The only way to take the banners is to take over the city and search the vaults over the course of many days.”
“It will be much easier to invade the cities and capture the banners if the Tiger Generals are dead,” Han said. “General Yang is known for his martial arts skills, and he’s very difficult to assassinate. This may be why the Judge is concentrating his attack on the City of a Thousand Heroes.”
Feng’s palms were sweating when he stood up. “We need to protect the Tiger Generals. I have to go home.”
Han placed a hand on Feng’s arm and drew him back to his seat. “If there are assassins out there, they are some of the best fighters across the land. Your Infinity Palm is improving every day, but you’re not the best person to defend your father.”
“I will go to your city,” Ah Go said. “I will stay close to your father and wait for the assassin.”
Feng sat back in front of the fire. “You will?”
“And I should go protect General Wu,” Han said. “I’ve heard he’s also a brilliant martial artist, but if the Judge is out to assassinate the Tiger Generals, he’s equally vulnerable.”
Feng’s heart sank, unable to abandon the idea that his father was in danger. But why did he care? The old man left his sister to die. He chased Feng out of the city so he could face the Zhuge Nu alone. Perhaps the great General Mu should face his own enemies.
“I’m going to the City of a Thousand Heroes,” Feng said, “like I promised the Orchid Farmer I would. General Yang needs the information I carry. The enemy helmets puncturing the soldier, the shields cracking, the swords breaking near the handle—I have to tell General Yang.”
“And the Zhuge Nu,” Ah Go said. “The Orchid Farmer told us how to defeat them.”
“They can fly a great distance, but they must drop into their tar
get from above,” Feng said. Han leaned forward to listen. “That means after they fire the arrows, we need to rush toward the archers and allow the swarm to pass over our heads. When they fire again, we move. They can’t shoot something right in front of them.”
“I see,” Han said. “I suspected that all along.”
“And the Orchid Farmer designed them to shriek in the air so the enemy will always know it’s coming.”
“We need fast horses and a lot of them,” Ah Go said. “We can charge the archers, and they will have no way to take aim.”
A smile crept onto Feng’s face. “That’s right. They can be defeated that way. But the Tiger Generals are there to defend the Great Wall, and their heavy cavalry are not meant for speed.”
“I know where to get horses,” Ah Go said. “Thousands of them. I’ll borrow them from some friends.”
“Friends with many horses?” Han asked. “Where?”
Ah Go laughed. “I have friends everywhere.”
“When can you borrow these horses?” Feng asked.
“I can be back in two weeks. Strong, fast horses.”
“But my father . . .”
“Didn’t you say your father is not in the City of Stones?” Ah Go asked.
“I . . . I don’t know. He left when he declared martial law in the city, and I don’t know when he’ll be back. I don’t know if he’ll be back.”
“I’ll bring the horses to the City of Stones,” Ah Go said. “I’ll wait for him there, and when he returns, I’ll make sure I stay with him.”
“He’ll return before the Judge invades the City of Stones,” Feng said. “And if General Yang falls, the Judge will move on to the next Tiger General, and then the next.”
“We’ll proceed as planned,” Han said. “Ah Go will borrow the horses and wait for your father in the City of Stones. I will protect General Wu. We’ll escort you to the City of a Thousand Heroes, and we’ll part ways from there.”
Feng pulled the map from his pocket and angled it toward the light so his two brothers could see. “Going all the way to the City of a Thousand Heroes would take you out of your way. We need to be quick. We can part ways here, about two days from now, and I’ll go to General Yang myself. It’ll save you at least a week of travel.”