Prologue The Martial Star

The seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty. Anqing Prefecture, Huaining County, twenty li outside the county town.

A procession, dressed in neat and festive attire with red silk sashes at their waists, moved slowly forward. Banners fluttered in the wind, and at the head of the procession, a man held high a placard reading “Silence, Make Way,” advancing briskly. Judging by the ceremonial formation, it appeared that a high official from the capital was traveling along the road.

The clang of several bronze gongs rang out, scattering birds from the woods on either side of the official road.

At the center of the orderly procession, a young man of about twenty, clad in shining armor, sat upright upon his horse. His spirit was bright, and his brows exuded a heroic air. From time to time, he conversed with his companions, his gestures and bearing revealing the poise of a scholar-general.

This young scholar-general was named Wang Lanping, a native of Huaining County in Anqing Prefecture. At this time, he was second only to Li Zicheng in renown throughout the Ming Empire. In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, he had taken first place in the imperial military examination—champion among all martial candidates. In the prime of his youth and talent, the emperor had specially decreed that he return home in glory, both to display imperial favor and to inspire martial spirit among the people in these troubled times.

Wang Lanping’s life story carried a certain flavor. On the night of his birth, thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and fierce winds raged through the skies. His father, overjoyed at his son’s arrival, was so overcome with excitement that he died within the night, leaving behind a widow and orphan. The Wang family declined thereafter, and his mother, Madam Zhao, struggled to keep them afloat, barely managing to make ends meet.

With Wang Lanping’s birth and his father’s strange death, gossip soon followed, suggesting the child was inauspicious. But Madam Zhao ignored these rumors, naming her son Lanping, in hopes of peace for the world. From then on, mother and son depended on each other, enduring hardship together.

As Wang Lanping grew, he seemed out of step with his peers, his actions far beyond his years. Other children avoided him, but with his naturally strong physique, he would beat up anyone who refused to play with him. In time, none dared provoke him—all feared him. Yet no one knew he was, in truth, a free-fighting champion from four hundred years in the future.

Seeing her son’s penchant for trouble and fighting, Madam Zhao, with a sigh, sent him at fifteen to the household of the wealthy merchant Master Du in Huaining. There, he apprenticed under the chief security instructor, learning the arts of sword, spear, and staff for self-defense. Thus, his talents found some use, and he secured a humble position as a guard—hoping to temper his character, earn some money, and perhaps one day marry. But though Madam Zhao’s intentions were good, events unfolded beyond her expectations.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty faced both internal and external threats. Bandits roamed Jiangnan, and many wealthy families hired hundreds of guards. Wang Lanping served in this capacity for five years.

As the saying goes, a master leads the way, but cultivation depends on oneself. Within three years of entering Master Du’s service, Wang Lanping had learned all his teacher had to offer, surpassing his mentor. Upon hearing of the court’s troubles and the opening of the military examination, Wang Lanping decided to join the army—knowing well that by the twelfth year of Chongzhen, it would only be a few years before the Manchu armies swept through the passes. In such chaotic times, heroes arose; he could not lead a muddled life. Though his transmigration seemed a farce, he was determined that this life would not be ordinary.

When Wang Lanping declared his intent to take the military examination, Master Du firmly opposed it. By then, Wang’s reputation in Huaining was already notable; with a guard like him, Du’s household had nothing to fear. Yet, as fate would have it, with the secret assistance of Miss Du, Wang Lanping managed to leave, bidding farewell to his mother, wandering the world in search of famous teachers. He trained in martial arts and studied military strategy, blending modern knowledge with the learning of his time, forging his own unique path. As the saying goes, effort brings reward; after years of silence, his name shocked the world.

According to the Ming system of military examinations, candidates were tested in three fields: individual mastery of archery, horsemanship, and arms; the arrangement of troops and formations; and most important, military strategy, astronomy, and geography.

Four years later, he returned to Huaining and took the provincial military examination in Anqing Prefecture, placing first. He then advanced to the capital for the metropolitan examination. The Chongzhen Emperor, determined to elevate the martial over the civil, unprecedentedly opened the palace examination to military candidates. Wang Lanping took first place in this, personally granted by the emperor the title “First Martial Champion of the Ming,” the first true martial champion in over a thousand years since the establishment of the military examination.

News that the unruly Wang boy had become the champion spread to Huaining, setting the city ablaze with excitement. Anqing Prefecture rejoiced, all Jiangnan celebrated, and martial aspirants across the empire were stirred. The Ming Dynasty was swept by a craze for martial valor.

In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Wang Lanping, after his triumph, was, despite the protests of the Donglin scholars, appointed by the emperor as deputy general of Anqing Prefecture. On the day of his appointment, he departed the capital for his post.

With the emperor’s secret decree in his heart, Wang Lanping was filled with indescribable emotion. He had turned his fate around: once an unknown guard, now the renowned martial champion of the realm in just a few years. The leap was almost too much to comprehend. More importantly, he knew the Ming now stood on the brink—Li Zicheng’s great Shun army pressed into Hebei, Zhang Xianzhong ruled the west in Sichuan, and the northern Manchus were eager to invade. Seated where he was, he must serve his duty; everything had just begun.

Before his departure, the emperor had told him to make full use of the natural barrier of the Yangtze, to fortify Jiangnan, and to protect Nanjing. The implication was clear: should the capital fall, the Ming could still hold Nanjing and preserve the dynasty.

Nanjing’s security depended on the Yangtze; the Yangtze’s security on the region of Jianghuai; and Jianghuai’s security on Anqing Prefecture. By placing the martial champion, chosen from thousands, in such a crucial post, the emperor’s hopes for Wang Lanping were evident—just as it showed there were few talents left to employ.

Such favor from the sovereign would inspire the champion to risk life and limb without complaint.

Reining in his horse, Wang Lanping gazed at the distant outline of Huaining city, smiling faintly. He raised his whip and gestured to his entourage, “Ahead lies Huaining.”

At his words, his followers straightened their backs, each striving to appear as imposing as possible. The champion’s return was a grand occasion; at once, the entire procession became resolute and spirited, a force of strong soldiers under a fierce general.

The powerful clang of the gong echoed forth.

The official at the head of the procession lifted his voice and shouted,

“Wang Lanping, martial candidate of Huaining County, Anqing Prefecture, Southern Directly Administered Area, has taken first place in the military examination of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, blessed by imperial favor, appointed as General of the Southern Army and Deputy Commander of Anqing Prefecture. By imperial decree, he returns home in honor. All townsfolk, be silent and make way! Mighty!”

“Clang!”

With each ceremonial announcement, the imposing procession marched toward Huaining.

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Historical Note:

The martial examination system in China began in the first year of the Zhenguan reign under Emperor Taizong of Tang (627 AD) and ended in the twenty-seventh year of the Guangxu reign under Emperor De Zong of Qing (1901 AD). In the Tang era, the top scorer was called “Zhuangtou,” and only after the Song dynasty’s reforms was the term “champion” adopted. Strictly speaking, Xue Yi of the Northern Song was the first martial champion, but the territory under the Song was not representative of later Ming and Qing China, as the south had Dali, the west had Western Xia, and the north had Liao. In this sense, some historians consider the first true martial champion after the unification of China’s nine provinces to be Wang Laipin.

Wang Laipin, in the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631), took first place in the military metropolitan examination and became the first martial champion in Chinese history, appointed as deputy general. In the fifth year of Chongzhen (1632), Kong Youde (deputy commander of Dengzhou, later a defector to the Qing) rebelled in Dengzhou. Government forces besieged the city for a long time without success. The following February, they attacked with gunpowder, bringing down part of the wall, but were repelled by the rebels. Wang Laipin, wielding a great blade, led the charge, climbing the walls and fighting fiercely, but sadly was wounded and died in battle. In the Qianlong era, he was posthumously honored with the title “Loyal and Brave” in the Record of Martyrs of the Victorious Dynasty.