by Fred Yu
“A hundred thousand?” Yang shouted. “And our scouts have verified these numbers?”
“Yes, General. We’re watching the fifty thousand camped ten miles outside the City of Eternal Peace. Zeng Xi and his men have already crossed the Hei Long River.”
Feng bit his lips. Where did the extra fifty thousand men come from? Perhaps the Judge raised a much larger force than Ko Sun knew about. But Yang, not Wu, was the most feared among the Tiger Generals. This wouldn’t explain why the Judge sent twenty thousand men with no siege weapons to invade his city while concentrating enormous firepower outside General Wu’s fortress.
“Summon my officers,” Yang said. “Tell them to prepare the army for immediate departure.”
The messenger bowed once and withdrew.
Yang turned to Feng. “Have you said what you came to tell me?”
“You’re mobilizing your army?”
Yang flashed him a cold glance. “I’m not surprised your father didn’t teach you this, so let me teach you now. Tiger Generals are bound by an oath to help each other when attacked. General Wu is in trouble. We need to combine forces in order to defend against a hundred thousand men.”
“That rule applies in the case of foreign invasion,” Feng said. “It assumes the barbarian nations would never join hands and attack at the same time. But right now this city is under . . .” Feng stopped. This was why the Judge only sent twenty thousand men to take the City of a Thousand Heroes. He knew Yang Xin would evacuate to protect General Wu’s city.
Yang shook his head. “A selfish man raised a selfish son. Should I permit General Wu and his entire army to die because this is not considered a foreign invasion?”
“There’s a civil war in the country,” Feng whispered. “And the emperor is doing nothing about it.”
“The emperor’s nephew is the emperor now,” Yang said. “At least he thinks he is. The Tiger Generals are the rogue forces today.”
“You’ll give up your city to save General Wu’s?”
“When I’m finished with the Judge and his running dog Zeng Xi, I’ll return and take back my city. Now, if there’s nothing else, I want you out.”
Feng stood up, his mind racing. “Uncle, you’ve purchased enough food and supplies to last an entire winter. You won’t be able to move those supplies in time. Any army that occupies this city can hold it for many months.”
Yang Xin pointed once to Feng, then to the door. He wanted Mu’s son out of his sight.
“No, Uncle. I’m not finished. A few years ago my father loaned you two thousand men. I came to collect them.”
Yang’s eyes flashed fire, and he took a menacing step forward. “At a time like this, you’re here to collect workers for your father?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Well, you can’t have them!”
“Here’s something my father did teach me, Uncle. Tiger Generals always honor their word. Did he teach me incorrectly?”
Yang was so angry his hands shook. He clenched his fists and leaned forward as if preparing to strike. Feng held his ground. They stared at each other. After a long time Yang opened his fist and leaned back. “You can have your two thousand men. Take them and get out of my city.”
“You’ve abandoned this city, Uncle. It’s not yours anymore. I will station my men here.”
Yang’s mouth opened in incredulous wonder. “You don’t really hope to defend this city against a force ten times larger.” He paused. “You know, when you noticed the city could be burned from behind, for a moment I thought Mu’s son was pretty smart.”
“I’ve seen what the Judge will do against civilians,” Feng said, his voice firm. “The people in this city will not be treated well.”
“I applaud you,” Yang said, then raised his voice. “But this is not a game, you spoiled brat! You’re putting the lives of two thousand men on the butcher’s block!”
“Those who join the Tiger General’s army wake up each day believing today is a good day to die. Your men look forward to an honorable death.”
Yang’s fists clenched again. “You will let your men die for your ego? Is that an honorable death?”
“Once the civilians become hostages, you will not be parading back into this city. You’ll lose a lot more than two thousand men plus hostages.”
“Message!” someone shouted.
Yang delivered a final glare at Feng and turned to the messenger running in.
“General, your officers are gathering in the library. The scribe has retrieved the maps, and they await your orders.”
“Tell them I’m coming now.”
“Yes, sir!”
The messenger ran off. Yang turned to Feng with a cold, disdainful stare and a sneer on his lips. “When you’ve lost all two thousand of your father’s men and you’re negotiating the terms of your surrender, remember to tell them you’re Mu’s son and that you are not under my command.”
Feng felt the fire return to his face. “Yes, Uncle,” he said in a low voice. “When I’m negotiating the terms of their surrender, I’ll remember to say the Tiger Generals are one family, and I am their son.”
Yang laughed. “Insolent brat. Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m used to leading pike men, Uncle. May I have two thousand pike men?”
“And why would you use pike men to defend a city on higher ground?”
“After I capture the invading army here, I’ll move my men to the Glimpse of Sky. Zeng Xi’s siege weapons must pass through those narrow valleys to get to General Wu—there’s no way for him to bring them over the canyons. The passageways in the Glimpse of Sky are crooked, so the archers and siege weapons are useless. And they’re narrow enough that his superior numbers will no longer give him the upper hand. His advantage will be his fast cavalry. That’s why I need the pike men, to break his cavalry. If I can stop him at the Glimpse of Sky, your army combined with General Wu’s will only face the fifty thousand.”
“And what will you do,” Yang asked, his voice less angry now, “if Zeng Xi sends his entire force into the narrow pass in the middle of the night to overpower you? Just because your meager two thousand men could not be surrounded doesn’t mean they won’t die of fatigue.”
Feng paused. He glanced once at the guards standing outside. They’re listening, he told himself. Especially the one with the large mole.
“My men would learn secret signals ahead of time,” Feng said, projecting his voice loud and clear across the room. He was certain the guard with the large mole could hear him. “At night each man on the ground will carry a torch, two men to a drum, while more than half the army hides along the mountains on either side. They will be stationed above the passageways.
“We will retreat deeper into the valley while beating the drums and waving the torches. The commotion will hide the ambush. The enemy will enter the narrow pass with their own torches to chase us. When I launch the secret signal, my men will drop the drums and extinguish their own torches, and my hidden men will charge down from either side and attack anyone with a torch. The enemy will be surrounded on three sides, and they will try to run back out the mouth of the pass. If the rest of Zeng Xi’s men try to enter, there will be complete chaos.”
Yang said nothing. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentler, even respectful. “Why did you come here, Feng?”
“I came to tell you about the Judge’s weapons. It’s very important.”
Yang motioned for him to sit. Instead of taking his own seat at the front of the room, he pulled up a chair next to Feng and seated himself, assuming the position of a peer. “I know what kind of weapons the Judge has. You have more information?”
“Yes, Uncle,” Feng said, lowering his voice. He moved closer to Yang and leaned forward. “These weapons were designed by the Orchid Farmer. He created them against his own will. He’s passed, but before he died, he told me about specific design flaws. He created these flaws so the weapons can be neutralized the same way every time.”
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�Really!” Yang said. “What are they?”
Feng told General Yang about the scream of the Zhuge Nu bolts and their need to drop from above. He explained that each sword would break if struck at the hollow area near the handle. He described the helmets that could shred and puncture the heads they were supposed to protect and the shields that cracked down the middle if struck from a specific angle.
“Message!” someone shouted. This time Yang did not turn to the door. He held up a hand when the messenger charged through, halting him, and turned back to Feng.
“That sword you’re carrying. Did the Orchid Farmer make it?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a name for it?”
“He called it the Dart.”
Yang smiled. “I recognize it. The world-famous Dart. It’s his most treasured invention. He trusted you.”
“General, permission to speak!” The messenger bowed lower.
Yang stood from his seat and turned to him. “Speak!”
“Imperial messengers are on their way here. They carry an edict, and they demand you are present to receive it.”
Yang laughed. “I’m busy. My nephew here will receive it on my behalf. You may go.”
“Yes, sir!”
Yang turned back to Feng. “General Lo once told me, ‘When Mu’s son grows up, even Zeng Xi won’t be his match.’ I hope you’ve grown up. This city depends on it.”
“I’ll do my best, Uncle. But I’m still worried about something.”
“Tell me, Feng.”
“Zhuge Nu archers cannot siege a city. When Zeng Xi arrives, the enemy will have a hundred thousand men. But when you join hands with General Wu, you will also have a hundred thousand. Why would the Judge attack two experienced generals protected by a fortress without more men? He can’t lose half his army in one fight when he still has my father to worry about.”
“I see what you’re saying,” Yang said. “There’s no way to guess what his ruse is until we have more information. I’ll have to reassess when I get there.”
“What does he really want, Uncle?” Feng asked in a whisper. “Why are those banners important?”
Yang’s eyebrows knit together. “It was supposed to be a secret,” he responded in a hushed tone. “Your father shouldn’t have told you.”
“He didn’t. The colonel told me—the one I captured. But how did he know?”
“Very few people in the world know about this.” Yang’s sharp eyes pinned against Feng’s in an uncomfortable gaze. “How do you intend to defend my city, Feng?”
Feng thought about it and broke into a laugh.
“What’s funny?”
“If I tell you, you’ll insult my father for the rest of your life. He raised a shameless brat who uses cheap, underhanded tactics.”
Yang also laughed. “I didn’t expect any better from Mu’s son. But you still have to tell me.”
“I’m going to use poison.”
“Poison? Poison an entire army?”
“Yes.”
“There aren’t enough snakes in the world.”
“Only amateurs use snake bites, Uncle. Real poison users entice the enemy to poison themselves.”
Yang leaned back in his chair, glanced once outside the door, and turned back to Feng after deciding the guards were too far away to hear him. He sighed and said in a low voice, “I know there may be a trap in Wu’s city. It can’t be that simple. I may not come back alive, and that’s why I can’t bring the banner with me.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I’m handing it to you. You will protect it with your life.”
“I’ll do whatever you ask, Uncle. But this banner—”
“The previous emperor created these banners. There was a disgusting power struggle among the emperor’s sons at the time, and the emperor decided he could not trust any of them. So, he created these banners and wrote into law that when all four banners come together, the sitting emperor must give up the throne. Each Tiger General was asked to guard one banner. If future emperors became tyrants or mistreated the people, the four Tiger Generals could legally invade the capital and choose a new emperor.”
“Why would the Judge need to attack all the Tiger Generals? If he captures a single banner, no one can dethrone him.”
“Because there are exceptions written into law,” Yang said. “If a Tiger General dies in war, only three banners are needed to march into the capital. Two banners if two Tiger Generals are killed. The previous emperor believed no one could kill all four of us.”
Feng shook his head. “I heard the emperor is sick, and the Judge is next in line for the throne. None of this makes sense.”
“Feng, if you’re not able to defend this city, take the banner and run. Hide somewhere until this is over.”
“Message!”
Yang climbed to his feet. “I’ll bring you the banner and the flag for the two thousand pike men. I’m also giving you the seal for the City of a Thousand Heroes. The city answers to you now.”
The messenger busted into the room. “General, the Judge’s twenty thousand men have begun to mobilize. The imperial messengers are riding in front of them.”
Yang glanced at Feng with a smile. “I’m busy. General Mu will receive the emperor’s edict on my behalf.”
* * *
The imperial messengers were expected to arrive midafternoon along with the army of twenty thousand. General Yang moved his fifty thousand men, all of them already armed and dressed in full uniform, and departed the City of a Thousand Heroes. Before he left, he issued an order as a category-one official—a rank that answered only to the emperor—proclaiming Feng as a category-two general. Feng’s rank was elevated to a level immediately below a Tiger General. Feng accepted the promotion with a solemn nod. He did not deserve it, but the high rank was necessary for him to control his men.
Afterward Feng gathered his two thousand soldiers, separated them into four units, and issued clear instructions on what to do.
A thousand men left the city to gather the yellow foxgloves growing along the valleys. A team of scouts hurried to the three herb shops in the city to purchase the remaining ingredients for the Yellow Sleeper, and others prepared large steel urns to brew the herbs.
A second unit of two hundred men drew water from the city wells and filled every man’s water flask. Feng ordered his army to only drink from the water flasks after sunset. The remaining men were sent to gather all civilian chefs. They would help slaughter pigs and cows and chickens and prepare a massive feast for the invading army. Food was abundant in the City of a Thousand Heroes.
Feng sat in the grand hall and summoned eight of his guards. He suddenly pointed to the short guard with the mole on his face. “Seize him!”
They spun around and grabbed the man with the mole, pressed his head down, and kicked him behind his knees, forcing him to kneel.
“What’s happening? What did I do, General?”
“Empty his pockets!” Feng shouted. His guards did as they were told, and a few coins were pulled from the man’s pockets.
“You’ve been accused of stealing money from other soldiers. Confess!”
“What? Wait, I didn’t do—”
Feng smacked him on the side of his head. “How dare you! How dare you deny it!”
“General! I didn’t do it! Those coins came from my salary!”
Feng pointed to the door. “Bring him outside, strip him, and give him fifty lashes. I want him displayed in public. I’ll decide what to do with him tonight.”
“Yes, General!”
The man with the mole was hauled out. His shouts declaring his innocence were heard long after they dragged him away.
Another soldier entered the room. “General Mu,” he said with a bow.
Feng motioned for the guards outside to leave. He pointed to an empty seat. “Your name is Li?”
“Yes, sir.”
“General Yang recommended you. He said I can trust you with anything.�
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“I appreciate that, sir. My father and the general grew up together, and I’ve been fortunate to serve him over the years.”
“Great. Do you know the guard with the big mole on his face?”
“Yes, sir. He’s been here many years. A good man.”
“Great. When this is over, I’ll be sure to promote him. But for now I need to order his execution tomorrow. I need you to free him in the middle of the night, explain to him how unhappy you are with my blind anger, and tell him he’ll be safe if he runs away to join Zeng Xi’s army. Say a few good things about Zeng Xi—that he’s going to be a Tiger General, that he’s the Great Prodigy. Most importantly, tell him you wish Zeng Xi would defeat me soon. Make sure you say that.”
Li bowed his head. “I have my orders, sir.”
“No one is to know about this. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
The imperial messengers arrived early, but Feng was well prepared. The men sent outside the city to gather the yellow foxgloves were back in their armor, their shiny pikes held next to them as they stood on top of the city walls and stared down at the incoming men. It was a small show of force but a decent one.
Four messengers approached. The man in front carried a yellow scroll embroidered with dragons. Feng welcomed them into the grand hall.
“Please have a seat. The servants are bringing our best wine. It must have been a long journey.”
“We’re here on official business. Where is Yang Xin?”
“My uncle is not here. I cannot receive the edict for him.”
“Yang Xin was ordered to be present for the imperial decree. How dare he!”
“There was an emergency, and he had to leave. A Tiger General’s first priority is to protect the country. He merely obeyed the emperor’s orders.”
The messengers froze and glanced at each other. Then, the man with the yellow scroll slapped the table. “Then we’ll occupy this city until he returns!”
Feng flashed a big smile and held up both hands. “No need for bloodshed. Really, there’s no need at all. I have the seal to the city, and I have authority to surrender it. Let’s talk about it. We’re gentlemen. We don’t want to fight each other. If I can get what I want, you can have the city without losing a single life.”