Sun Baiping leaned over the city wall, peering into the distance where the lights of the Beiyang camp flickered through the gloom. He chewed silently on his pipe, his figure hunched in the heavy snow, lost in thought. Behind him followed a small child, about five or six years old, bundled into a round ball by a thick fur coat. The boy was standing on his tiptoes, gripping the battlements and peering out alongside him.
Sun Baiping tapped the boy’s head with his pipe and muttered, "What’re you lookin’ at?"
The boy huffed a breath into his frozen, bright red hands, then propped his arms on the stone wall to poke his head further into the snowstorm. His eyes were dark and spirited, showing no fear. "Looking at the Beiyang army," he said. Then he tilted his head toward Sun Baiping. "What’re *you* lookin’ at?"
Sun Baiping smacked his lips. "I’m looking at the Beiyang army too." He tapped the boy again. "Don’t climb so high. If you fall, you’ll shatter into eight pieces, and no one will be able to save you."
"Have you ever fallen?" the boy asked persistently. "Does it really break you into eight pieces?"
Sun Baiping exhaled a cloud of white mist into the cold air. "Let me tell you, if you ever fall into the hands of the Prince of Yan..." He pointed toward the Beiyang camp. "That’s the man leading those troops. If you meet him, you shut your mouth and pretend to be a mute."
"Why pretend to be a mute?"
"Because being a mute can save your life." Sun Baiping leaned out to check a nearby ballista, then pulled back. "Did you hear me?"
The boy nodded. Seeing Sun Baiping start to walk down, he quickly slid off the wall to follow. The snow below reached the boy’s knees, and he frequently stumbled or sank. Whenever he fell, Sun Baiping would turn around, grab him by the back of his collar, and haul him out before letting him continue. He did this repeatedly, yet he never once offered to carry him.
The large and small figures trudged silently through the snow. In the sheds to the west, the citizens of Xianglan who had refused to cooperate were being held. A young lad climbed onto the frame of a shed, his eyes peering out. When he saw Sun Baiping, he spat on the ground.
Sun Baiping acted as if he hadn't heard, but the boy stopped and looked back. "Why did he spit at you?" he asked.
Sun Baiping tucked his hands into his sleeves. He had a naturally wretched look about him, and this posture only made him appear more loathsome. "Probably hasn't had enough to eat. Who knows?" He pulled the boy back as he tried to walk toward the shed. "What are you doing?"
"I’m going to reason with them," the boy said, looking up. "Didn't you give them food?"
"They won't eat what I give them." Sun Baiping bent down as if to pick him up, but halfway there, he pulled his hands back for some reason. He simply said, "You don't understand." When the boy looked up, his eyes appeared exceptionally large and bright—so dark and clear that they were difficult for someone with a guilty conscience to look at directly. Sun Baiping didn't consider himself such a person, yet he still couldn't bear the gaze. He took the boy’s hand instead. "This has nothing to do with you. Don't go worrying your head over useless things."
The boy caught the main point and asked, "What are 'useless things'?"
Sun Baiping led him along, their footsteps uneven in the deep snow. "It means you've eaten too many radishes."
The boy nodded, committing it to memory. After a few steps, he thought of the lad from before and looked back. Seeing that the youth was still staring at them with hatred, he said, "He’s still staring at you."
Sun Baiping gave a grunt. "Well, I did kill his parents."
"Why did you kill his parents?"
"Who knows." Sun Baiping clicked his tongue. "This road is damn hard to walk."
"Don't kill people." The boy stumbled along beside him, still trying to reason with him. "Don't kill people."
Sun Baiping leaned over to brush the snow off the boy’s legs and sighed. "That’s not up to me. Nothing is up to me." Someone was approaching from ahead. Sun Baiping narrowed his eyes and pushed the boy to the side. "Go back to the room. There are chestnuts inside. Eat them yourself."
The boy wanted to say more, but seeing Sun Baiping’s listless expression, he knew the man’s word was final. He let go of his hand and ran up the steps.
"Slow down!" Sun Baiping cursed after him. "Watch out for the ice!"
"Master Sun." The man had reached him, his gaze following the boy up the stairs. "Your son is quite adorable."
"It’s a blessing he doesn't look like me." Sun Baiping pulled out his pipe and stuck it in his mouth. "What business brings you here, Master Liang?"
"To bid Master Sun farewell." Liang Qing pulled his outer cloak tighter. "The Prince has called me back. This place is now entirely in your hands."
"What’s the matter with the Prince?" Sun Baiping tapped his pipe. "Does he mean to abandon Xianglan?"
"The King of Hell has already left the capital. No matter how long Xianglan holds out, it won't survive the winter. There’s no point in keeping it." Liang Qing smiled, his eyes cold. "Is it acceptable to leave it to you, Master Sun?"
"You mean you want me to lead this entire city to its death," Sun Baiping replied with a smile of his own. "No big deal."
Liang Qing gave him a slight nod. "Then, I shall take my leave, Master Sun." The man turned and walked away without waiting for a response. The heavy snow blurred the vision, but his silhouette still carried a hint of arrogance.
Sun Baiping watched him go, pipe still in his mouth. Just as the man was about to vanish from sight, Sun Baiping suddenly sighed. "Though I have no reputation for virtue and I’m certainly no hero... in the end, I still want to taste what it’s like to be a loyal subject serving his country. Master Liang, what should I do? I just can't help myself."
Liang Qing spun around. "What do you intend to do?"
Sun Baiping pointed his pipe toward the sky. "Accumulate a little hidden merit."
The surrounding guards suddenly turned, their blades unsheathing and pointing directly at Liang Qing. In an instant, they had surrounded him so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through.
"Sun Baiping." Liang Qing’s face darkened. "You’ve killed many people on your way here. Do you really think you can wash yourself clean with this one final act?"
Sun Baiping bit down on his pipe again, his expression wooden. "The Prince told me to rebel, so I rebelled. But from Dezhou to here, Master Liang’s words have carried far more weight than mine. If many have died, at least half of those lives should be credited to you, shouldn't they? The Prince wanted me to hold Xianglan to stall the Beiyang army so the Prince of Pingding could leave the capital. I thought about it and did as I was told. The Prince intends to seize the throne, and he’s using me as a screen. But now, for the sake of that screen, you want me to slaughter the city so that dead men tell no tales? That, I cannot do."
"What?" Liang Qing sneered. "Are you planning to put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha? Even if you don't kill anyone today, do you think the King of Hell will let you off? Don't forget, the Prince of Ping’s Posuo City burned for three days."
"He won't," Sun Baiping laughed. "If I die alone, it’s what I deserve. But when the Prince of Yan pacifies Jiangtang in the future, perhaps I might even earn a bit of posthumous fame."
"The Prince of Yan?" Liang Qing laughed in fury. "Even a mute has caught your eye? The Prince has not treated you poorly."
"Indeed, he hasn't," Sun Baiping said flatly. "He killed my wife, my children, and my elderly mother, keeping me crushed in the palm of his hand. Master Liang, you’ve worked hard to keep the truth from me, but I’m no fool. I can recognize the handwriting in my family’s letters. The Prince wanted me to work like a dog for him while he 'cleared away my worries' in the rear. Such deep affection and heavy righteousness—how could I not repay it?"
Liang Qing flicked his sleeve coldly. "I’m afraid things won't go as you wish."
A faint sound of friction hissed through the falling snow. Sparks began to fly along the battlements, and the smell of fire oil and gunpowder permeated the city.
"Since you won't leave, I’ll send you on your way!"
The walls of Xianglan erupted in a thunderous explosion. Xin Yi threw back the tent flap and stepped outside, watching the flames burst through the heavy snow, the sound deafening.
"Why did it explode?" Meng Chen ran out as well. "Wu Yu should only just be reaching the foot of the Buddha Mountain. It’s not time for a desperate final stand yet. Why did he blow it up himself?"
Half the city wall had already collapsed, but the explosions continued. From the look of it, gunpowder had been planted both above and below the walls long ago. But the Beiyang army hadn't even begun their assault—why was he blowing himself up?
Xin Yi whistled for Chiye and vaulted onto the horse. "Let’s go see."
Something had changed within Xianglan.
By the time Xin Yi reached the city, the high walls that had stood for days were a ruin of rubble; even the city gates had vanished. Before Chiye could even step inside, the pungent stench of smoke mixed with the smell of scorched flesh hit them. Xin Yi was shocked to see the unmistakable streaks of boiling oil that had poured down the walls. Fires burned in the distance, accompanied by the faint sound of wailing. Xin Yi spurred his horse inside. The long sheds amidst the fire had been nailed shut with wooden planks. Human hands struggled through the gaps, and the screams grew more horrific the closer they got.
The gunpowder had ignited the fire oil on the battlements, sending it cascading down directly onto these long sheds from which there was no escape. The smell of roasting flesh was nauseating.
"Break them open and put out the fire!" Meng Chen shouted. "The Prince orders: save the people first!"
But how could they be in time? Despite the swirling snow, the scalding heat continued amidst the agonizing cries. Even when the Beiyang soldiers tore off the planks, the people they pulled out were often nothing more than mangled, scorched remains. Meng Chen let out a roar, hoisted a heavy cart nearby, and smashed it against the wooden boards. Xin Yi immediately reached inside, grabbed a thrashing figure, and dragged them out.
The hot oil had scalded the person’s legs, causing the skin to shrivel and blister.
Xin Yi remained unnervingly calm. He commanded, "Carry out those who can still live. Give a quick end to those who cannot. Search the other corners of the city; if you find gunpowder, deal with it on the spot. Uncle Meng, take men inside. Find the granary and the secret tunnels leading out, but do not enter them to give chase. Finally," he said, his voice cold, "find Sun Baiping!"
Amidst the wreckage, Sun Baiping was actually still alive, though he had lost both his legs. His pipe had been blown onto the stairs, its stem snapped. He crawled up the steps, reached for his pipe, and began to bang it forcefully against a pillar.
After an unknown number of strikes, a head poked out from the corridor. The boy was looking at him.
Sun Baiping tossed the pipe aside and gasped for air to steady himself. "Come here," he said.
The boy ran over like a flash.
Sun Baiping squeezed the boy’s cheek hard, smearing blood all over his face. The old man laughed with a sound like wind whistling through a broken throat. He wheezed a few more times and said hoarsely, "Did you see that grandson of a bitch’s face clearly?"
The boy set his face grimly and nodded hard.
"Then remember it well." He pressed the boy’s head against his own cheek, rubbing it with effort. "Remember it well." Then, for some reason, tears began to fall, mixing with the blood on the boy’s face. He sobbed, "To hell with being a hero! I still... I still ended up killing people!" He pulled the boy’s head into an embrace and wailed like a child. "A coward who deserves to die! I couldn't protect anything!"
The boy bit his lip and let himself be held. Sun Baiping said, "You follow that man. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded.
Sun Baiping didn't accept the silent answer and barked, "Follow who?"
"The Prince of Yan." The boy finally broke into tears, sobbing and choking. "Follow the Prince of Yan."
"Good... good." Sun Baiping closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He shoved the boy away. "Now get lost."
The boy wiped his eyes and fell to the side, crying. Sun Baiping shouted, "Go! Don't be an eyesore here!" As he cursed, he slumped onto the ground. Blood dripped steadily from his sleeves, pooling beneath his hands. He pressed his forehead against the earth, his vision blurred by tears, not daring to look back at the source of the screams even once.
The boy kowtowed to him from the side. Sun Baiping sobbed and shoved him again. "What are you kneeling to me for! You don't kneel to anyone! You... ha, you..." He laughed through his tears. "You aren't even my son. Why the hell are you kneeling to me?"
The boy didn't call him father; he just kept kowtowing.
Sun Baiping lay despondently in the snow, his mind a muddle. What was there to be done? There was nothing worth saying about his life. He was a wretched, cowardly man who had only known how to act like a big shot in that tiny corner of Dezhou. From the day he stepped out of Dezhou, he knew he couldn't escape this, and no one would spare him.
But what could he do?
He was afraid of the King of Tang, afraid of the Crown Prince, afraid of Yan Jueshu, and even afraid of that sharp-tongued Wu Yu from Xiajin. Surrounded by tigers on all sides, what could he have done?
The two boldest things he had ever done in his life happened today: first, he cursed the King of Tang, and second, he spared this boy’s life.
But before the help could arrive, joy had turned to tragedy.
The boy cried for an unknown amount of time. By the time Meng Chen found them, Sun Baiping was already cold. He picked the boy up, and seeing that he was about to choke from crying, he quickly rubbed his back to soothe him.
"Drag him out," Meng Chen said, frowning at Sun Baiping. "This man brought calamity to an entire city. He cannot be shown leniency."
As Sun Baiping’s body was carried out, many of the Beiyang soldiers busy with the rescue spat on the ground as he passed. Even Xin Yi looked back once, his gaze indifferent and cold.
Xianglan had finally fallen, but it wasn't taken by storm; it had broken under the weight of gunpowder. Wu Yu found the secret tunnel at the foot of Buddha Mountain; the other end was indeed inside Xianglan. Unexpectedly, the granary was not well-stocked; someone must have anticipated this and moved the grain in advance.
Of the ten thousand Dezhou provincial troops, few remained alive. However, the other forty thousand men Sun Baiping had gathered when he entered Yuanji and Xianglan had all vanished.
Before Xin Yi could even catch his breath, at the same moment Xianglan fell, the Dayuan army launched an assault on Rouhui.
Xu Hu refused to yield an inch. The troops Xin Yi had insisted on keeping at Li and Xiajin finally proved their worth, as Jibai Yue immediately led reinforcements to Rouhui.
The dawn had not yet broken, and the snow had not yet stopped.
The sword Tiandao felt cold at Xin Yi’s waist. His expression was blank; he felt no joy for the reunion of Beiyang, nor any delight at the Prince of Yan taking command again. Because amidst the smell of scorched flesh, he scented another storm of blood and wind.
Five years had passed.
Dayuan had returned. This time, who would fall before Mount Jianan?
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 孙百平 | Sun Baiping | The official/general in charge of Xianglan. |
| 梁青 | Liang Qing | An agent/subordinate of the King of Tang. |
| 襄兰 | Xianglan | The city where the chapter takes place. |
| 阴德 | Hidden merit | Virtue or good deeds done in secret, believed to bring divine reward. |
| 迦南山 | Mount Jianan | A significant mountain/location, likely the site of a past tragedy. |
| 大苑 | Dayuan | A foreign kingdom and enemy of the state. |
| 柔回 | Rouhui | A strategic location/pass under attack. |
| 许虎 | Xu Hu | A military commander. |
| 吉白樾 | Jibai Yue | A military commander and ally of Xin Yi. |
| 德州 | Dezhou | The region Sun Baiping originally came from. |
| 燕王 | Prince of Yan | Xin Yi's title. |
| 阎王 | King of Hell | A nickname for Bai Jiu (Yama). |
| 天道 | Tiandao | "Heavenly Way," the name of Xin Yi's sword. |
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