Clash of Alliances

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  ​“There’s no use in becoming agitated, comrades. There is nothing we can do but wait,” said Meiling, still trying to catch her breath.

  ​“It will be dawn by the time he gets back! I do not believe this!” exclaimed Zuo Shilong.

  ​For an hour or so, they sat in the street in front of the Imperial City District entrance in the watchful eyes of the Academicians and the Ming soldiers— none of whom had recognized or knew anything about either of the men.

  ​“The guards have had their stations rotated. This mismanagement is going to cost us the victory,” Buff Baby whined.

  ​“We are so close yet so far away. Navigating the main roads and passing the checkpoints was so much easier than actually being here,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​Nearly an hour had passed when the trio had finally fallen asleep across the street from the Imperial City District entrance. Meiling leaned asleep against a wall with her hood up covering her face. Buff Baby snored like a bear, though exhaustion and hunger had kept the other two from waking.

  ​The sound of dozens of boot falls jerked Meiling awake, and she stood to see many man clad in the robes of Jinyiwei approaching the Imperial City District gates. With one badge and a quick word, they were granted entry. Before they could get any further, Meiling called out to them and Zuo Shilong and Buff Baby awoke with a start. Lieutenant Shun Gen turned to face the direction of the commotion as the trio approached him. Several of Shun’s officers stepped out and drew their weapons before Meiling could get any closer.

  ​ “You are Jinyiwei, yes? You must bring word to the Martial Scholars and the emperor. An attack on the capital is imminent. Here,” she said handing him the journal outlining battle plans and mapping the enemy’s method of approach.

  ​Lieutenant Shun Gen signaled for his men to stand at ease and to put away their weapons. Without a word and while looking at Meiling squarely in the eyes, he took the journal, opened it and studied its contents.

  ​“Wait, we cannot trust him, Meiling! He and his kind betrayed the emperor for the Pale Foreigners. They are the enemy!” cried Zuo Shilong, as his hand hovered over the staff hanging from his back.

  ​Lieutenant Shun Gen sighed. “I hate having to tell this story over and over. The ones you fought were not Jinyiwei. We are Jinyiwei. Not once have we betrayed the empire and not once have we ever bowed to the whims of the eunuchs. We are working alongside the administration now, as you can see.”

  ​“I’m watching you, mate,” said Buff Baby boldly.

  ​“Then by all means,” replied the Lieutenant with a sarcastic expression. “However, one more threatening quip out of you and I will have you arrested. I don’t care how strong you are.” He resumed examining the journal under the light of a hanging paper lantern. “Where did you get this?” he asked Meiling, looking at her square in the eye again.

  ​“I took it from an enemy I had slain. She was a prominent figure in Wulin, and she had pledged her allegiances to the Pale Foreigners,” she answered. “Everything our enemies in the Underworld are planning to do has been written and outlined on these pages. You must notify the rest of your men and the court. An attack on the capital is imminent and the palace may be compromised. Just read it yourself. The emperor and the entire court is in danger. The whole city is under threat.”

  ​Lieutenant Shun studied the journal again, flipping it over and scanning the pages some more. He looked at her and studied the other two. “Who are you? How are you here?”

  ​“This little lad and I were part of a special task force to investigate the Underworld and gather information on their activities. I am Buff Baby, he is Zuo Shilong, and this is Lady Ling. She is new. That book you hold in your hand is what we found,” answered Buff Baby.

  ​“Ah yes, the task force. The Martial Scholars’ headmaster had mentioned something of that nature.” He studied the trio standing before him one more time then signaled for them to follow. They were granted access through the first gate of the Imperial District, and together, they walked down the lengthy avenue leading directly toward the district proper. They walked on either side, being careful not tread upon the middle pathway, which was reserved only for the emperor himself.

  ​“Wait here. I will speak to Martial Scholar Tian Qiu about your arrival and inform him of this intel you have brought with you,” said the Lieutenant. In the distance, Lieutenant Shun spoke with Tian Qiu, who had just been returning from a long evening sitting in Hanlin Academy as usual. “Three persons have arrived at the gates this evening. Two of them claim to have been commissioned by your own order to undertake a mission of utmost secrecy. They have brought this with them.”

  ​Tian Qiu studied the diagram and articles written within the journal. A look of surprise and astonishment was on his face as he studied its contents and examined the diagrams outlining the enemy’s plan and method of attack. Under the soft, warm light of the lantern, he squinted at the small print scribbled all over the edges and around the diagrams. “The people who have brought this, have they identified themselves?”

  ​“A large, towering man called ‘Buff Baby’ arrived with one other who appears to be a Shaolin monk. And there is a woman with them who appears to be someone whom they had just met,” Shun replied.

  ​“Listen to me and listen very carefully, Lieutenant. No one, I mean no one is to know about this journal or its contents, is that understood?” Tian Qiu whispered to his ear. “Return to them and lock them up where they cannot be heard or noticed. Do it discreetly and do it now!”

  ​“But, sir, the evidence—,”

  ​“Now, Lieutenant. I am ordering you to take them away. This book is but a ruse, a falsified document mean to throw us off from the true threat. So, are you going to obey my orders or not?”

  ​Lieutenant Shun Gen glared at Tian Qiu fiercely before answering, “There is no problem here, Scholar Qiu. I shall take them to the district prisons straightaway.”

  ​“Good. Once you are through, you and your men are required to immediately take up your stations in the Outer City district with the Academicians there to continue your guard duty. You are to remain there until your next summons. Do I make myself clear?” said Tian Qiu, shooting back the glare the Lieutenant Shun was giving him.

  ​“Clear, Scholar,” he answered with a deep frown.

  ​He bowed and saluted then returned to his men to arrest Buff Baby, Zuo Shilong, and Meiling. He signaled for his men to detain them, and instantly they were seized and shackled.

  ​“What are you doing? What is the meaning of this?” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​“You duplicitous filth! I knew you could not be trusted. I will break these bonds and tear you limb from limb!” shouted Buff Baby.

  ​“Forgive me, I am truly sorry. This was not my decision. Scholar Qiu has ordered me to have the three of you arrested and jailed for the time being,” said Shun.

  ​The three were strip-searched and disarmed before being taken to the dimly lit jails within the Imperial City District. Within three separate cells, they were discarded.

  ​“Lieutenant, whatever is happening behind closed doors, you must listen to me. Something is wrong. This is not how it is supposed to be,” pleaded Zuo Shilong.

  ​“Forget it, monk. They won’t listen to us. We’re outcasts. We’re expendable equipment; just nobodies whom nobody will miss. They will just have to wait until I break out of here,” spat Buff Baby.

  ​Before Lieutenant and the rest of the Jinyiwei turned to exit, Meiling stopped him in his tracks.

  ​“You know deep within your heart and mind that this is a wrong course of action. I beseech you to ponder upon this turn of events, Lieutenant,” she said.

  ​He paused for a moment then turned to face her. “Be patient, my lady. My men and I have never been and never will be puppets. I will investigate the situation further. Until then, you must be patient. I will come back for you,” he said. He smiled slightly and nodded at her. Again, silence and darkness resumed inside
the jail cells.

  ​“We are going to perish here. The city will fall and there will be nothing we can do about it,” said Zuo Shilong. He sat cross-legged on the hay-strewn floor and leaned his head against the cold stone wall. The place smelled; it was unkempt and poorly maintained, but it was very difficult to notice as he closed his eyes and let the creeping exhaustion take over.

  ​“We are not alone, brothers,” Meiling whispered. “We are never alone… and help is on the way,” she said.

  ​A day had passed, the sun had completed its arc across the sky. They had none to eat but stale, sour broth and some rice. The three of them slept the day away waiting for something, anything to happen. It truly seemed as if the city had given itself over to siege and destruction. Night had fallen once again and still no word came from Lieutenant Shun Gen or anyone from within the Martial Scholars and their Academicians.

  ​“Does the emperor even know we are even here? Is this the scheme of one man or is it really the plan of the Martial Scholars all along? I thought the court had already eliminated all the traitors within its walls. I thought we were finally going to save the empire. I guess I thought wrong,” lamented Zuo Shilong.

  ​“Quit your whining, monk. It will do us no good to cry ourselves to sleep here,” commented Buff Baby.

  ​“Bao, you’re big and strong. Why do you not just break those bars and free us?”

  ​“Then what? We are surrounded by several thousand trained Ming troops and hundreds of those Academy folk. If we run and fight, we will only die tired. Just shut up and go to sleep.”

  ​“Okay. That is fine too.”

  13 The Battle for Beijing

  “When was the last time you saw your parents, Ren?” Long Shen asked his fellow infantryman. There was not much to do outside the city limits. Guard patrol duty was increasingly dull especially being furthest from the main camps. Even good conversation was becoming harder to come by. The nights grew colder and morale was on a low plateau. Even the armor they wore did not instill the same level of pride in their hearts than when they had first donned it. Boredom, especially for the younger troops, negatively affected the men more than most realized.

  ​“It’s been about a year and a half then another two years before that when we first started training. But time seems to have come and gone more quickly than I first thought. Between the rough training and the constant moving, I haven’t much time to miss anything or anyone. Though now when I think of it, it has been some time since I have written home, though I was not on good terms with Mother when I left. I miss the warmth and humidity of the far south too. This northern weather is messing up my sinuses,” said Fu Ren with a smile as he reminisced on his simple childhood life.

  ​Long Shen nodded his head in agreement. He and his close friend, like so many other soldiers in the Ming army, came from military families. Long Shen and Fu Ren were of the same age and had begun training in the army together a few years back.

  ​“So do I, comrade. But we’re children no more. We should always remind ourselves of the grand responsibility entrusted to us. Society used to belittle us, but in truth, not everyone can be a soldier. Besides, the hard training has made me much stronger and faster. This means that when I do have the chance to come home, I’ll be looking forward to beating the living snot out of all the bullies who picked on me as a kid,” Long Shen said with a chuckle as he patted his bulging bicep curled under his uniform.

  ​“True. You always did have a way of putting things into proper perspective. I’m even looking forward to winning the army martial arts tournament next year. Ah, let’s not forget all the fair maidens waiting to see their heroes come home,” laughed Fu Ren.

  ​“When we’re done here, they’ll all want to be our betrothed,” added Long Shen.

  ​“Hahah, most certainly. And to be honest, I take great pride in serving. With an emperor as honorable as ours, there’s no better time to be a soldier.”

  ​ The two comrades looked out into the darkness of the roads not far from their stations and encampments. The night was clear, and the moonlight shone through nicely, emitting a soft and cool illumination upon the ground and trees far ahead. All was silent and a steady breeze blew from the north, its coldness was still felt through layers of armor and uniform.

  ​In the distance, behind the thin mist, Fu Ren spotted a lone figure standing all alone in the dark in the middle of the road. He hopped with a limp as he approached them. His pace was consistent, and he made no other movements or gestures as he drew near.

  ​“Do you see that, Shen?” Fu Ren asked. “I think there’s someone coming. He looks hurt.”

  ​“Let’s check it out. Keep your guard up. Crazy fools abound these days,” said Long Shen. The two marched toward the limping individual as they waited for the strong light of their hanging lamp and torch to bring him into view. “Hey you! Man! Stop!” shouted Long Shen.

  ​“What are you doing out here all alone in the dead of night? Curfew had already been enforced hours ago. Is something the matter? Where are you from?” Fu Ren called out. “Please identify yourself before you come any closer!” They received no response, and training compelled them to draw their broadswords before getting any closer. As they neared the man, the light of their fire revealed his true form. A horrid, disfigured man, with a body in a condition that should not have permitted life, revealed himself to them. In horror, Fu Ren screamed with fright and jumped back in quick reflex. “W-w-what in the blazes happened to you, man??” cried Fu Ren.

  ​One more appeared behind the man, hop-hopping toward them a little at a time with arms stretched out and hands extended as if eager to grasp them. It was a woman whose appearance was no better than the first man. A third then approached, then a fourth and a fifth. In mere moments, an entire hoard hopped toward the hapless Ming soldiers who stood to face them alone, with their nearest reinforcements well-beyond shouting distance.

  ​“What the… holy—,”

  ​The small hops the incoming figures were making turned into great leaps and long-distance jumps. Their arms and hands were outstretched as they targeted the two soldiers standing in their way.

  ​“RUN!!” shouted Long Shen. The two foot soldiers dropped their lamp and torch, spun on a heel, and made a mad dash back to camp. The horde continued their chase, leaping distances greater than the soldiers’ running strides. Long Shen risked taking a look over his shoulder. “They’re closing in fast! Run faster!”

  ​“Arrgghhh, I don’t think I can shake them!” said Fu Ren as he tried to maintain his sprint. The sounds of snarling closed in on them.

  ​“Then we’ll have to fight them!” replied Long Shen.

  ​They stopped, turned, and chose their first opponents. The first leaped at Shen, but he sidestepped the charge and slashed its torso before stabbing it through the chest. Instead of dying instantly like it should have, the creature snarled and snarled until a clean hack across the neck silenced it permanently.

  ​“Aim for the neck and head!” Long Shen shouted.

  ​He and Fu Ren cut down several more, but their numbers increased, and they were forced to run as they fought. They fought hard and strong, cutting limbs and severing heads while taking hits themselves. Metal scales were ripped off their armor’s stitching as the Jiangshi clawed at their bodies. Soon, they were near the encampment and Fu Ren shouted to their comrades to sound the alarms.

  ​One Jiangshi leaped high and descended upon him and pinned him to the ground. They struggled and grappled for some time, but even with all his strength, the creature pressed down upon him and took one meaty bite off his neck, and Fu Ren was no more. His life force, his vital essence had all been drained, and funneled into the bodily vessel of the Jiangshi.

  ​Long Shen shouted and swore at seeing his comrade perish in such away. He fought even harder with the fury only intense grief could inspire. Even as the other creatures crowded all around him, seeking to destroy his flesh and consume his vital essence, he
hacked, slashed, punched and kicked through them until he barely had enough space to even lift his weapon. Just before the creatures could finally overwhelm him to claw and gnaw upon his flesh, a flurry of several dozen arrows tore through the Jiangshi and they fell violently to the barrage of projectiles. Long Shen charged through and tackled the Jiangshi, and sprinted toward the safety of his incoming comrades. The archers drew their bows a second time and rained a hailstorm of arrows on the rushing horde. What was just a mere hundred Jiangshi now easily numbered in the thousands. Like a plague of locusts, they encompassed and swarmed the landscape with only the encamped Ming army standing between them and the capital city.

  ​Long Shen regrouped with his troops and grabbed a spear. Horns were blown and gongs were struck as the Ming Army rushed to get in formation and properly respond to the incoming threat. The swarm of Jiangshi rushed the first line of defense, breaking through obstacles and blockades. There was no time for shield walls and organized defenses. The first line of soldiers stood their ground as individuals instead of tight-knit and organized units working in unison. Broadswords and spears pierced through decaying flesh with little effect.

  ​“Group!! Regroup!” cried one of the commanders in the distance. Shield units huddled together to repel the continuing charge of the horde. It was full-on hand to hand combat. Long Shen continued to repel them with all the fight within him. He took his spear and cast it into one leaping monstrosity before it could crash land upon his comrades. Years of intensive combat training and experience in the field kicked in to full swing. Even the time he spent working the garrisons’ farmland had given him the muscle and endurance to push through into the fight. A large hailstorm of flaming arrows arced high over their heads as archers from the rear loosed a salvo. They rained down upon the Jiangshi whose tireless onslaught remained unfazed by anything the army brought forth. There was not even time to ask from whence the creatures had come or for what purpose they were attacking the army.