017 A Hero's Aid

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Upon hearing news of reinforcements, the soldiers of the Wind Battalion, nearly wiped out, suddenly surged with renewed vigor as if injected with adrenaline, yelling fiercely and swinging their weapons with all their might—a desperate grasp for life.

Wang Lanping swept aside several enemies before him with a spear and swiftly ascended the city tower. He was puzzled—how could there be reinforcements? Could it be that General Liu Zeqing from Anqing, moved by conscience, had brought his troops? Or perhaps Zuo Liangyu, who had fled all the way to Jiujiang Prefecture, had arrived? These were the two closest Ming army units to Huaining City; beyond them, Wang Lanping could think of no one else who might come to his aid.

Reaching the city tower, he saw piles of corpses—bodies of the Great Shun army soldiers stacked along the walls. The attackers no longer needed ladders to climb; standing atop the heaps of bodies, one could simply reach out to grasp the battlements.

Song Dali kicked away a Shun soldier who had just reached the city wall and was swinging his blade fiercely at him. Turning to Wang Lanping, he said, “General, we are saved! Look—reinforcements!”

More Shun soldiers kept climbing onto the wall. Wang Lanping and Song Dali fought back to back, supporting each other.

Wang Lanping glanced down and saw a man about his age, without helmet or armor, wielding a long saber. He led several hundred men dressed in plain clothes, charging from the side of the Great Shun army. Their weapons were varied, even including iron rakes; the only sure sign they were Ming troops was the Ming army banner waving among them.

Who were these men? Wang Lanping did not know, but judging by their fierce fighting spirit, equal to that of the Ming army, they had come to help.

The Shun army roared fiercely in response. Li Laixiang personally charged into the melee—seeing Huaining City about to fall, they could not allow all their efforts to be in vain in this last moment.

The desperate Shun soldiers surged onto the city wall in waves, falling one after another before Wang Lanping. Amid the chaos, Wang Lanping’s body was covered with wounds, his flesh numb. In such turmoil, every man became a beast.

“Move aside!” Wang Lanping shouted. Amid the chaos, a Wind Battalion soldier was felled by a leaping Shun soldier. Seeing this, Wang Lanping quickly blocked the attacker’s blade with his spear shaft. The blade struck with a dull thud, and before the enemy could retract the weapon, Wang Lanping kicked him hard in the abdomen. The man crashed against the wall, blood spurting from his mouth—dead.

At that moment, five spears thrust simultaneously toward Wang Lanping. Although skilled, dodging left and right, one spear still pierced his left shoulder.

Song Dali was surrounded in the fray, seeing the general in danger and unable to help, he cried out anxiously, “General!”

A sharp pain surged from Wang Lanping’s left shoulder. As the spear penetrated an inch, he swiftly grasped its tip with one hand. With the other hand, he thrust his spear forward and backward, knocking down all who surrounded him.

The Shun soldier who had impaled Wang Lanping did not expect his opponent to resist so fiercely. Attempting to withdraw and strike again, he found the spear stuck fast—unable to advance or retreat. In that moment of hesitation, Wang Lanping’s spear pierced his mouth, the tip emerging from the back of his head.

The Wind Battalion soldier Wang Lanping had saved now got up from the ground. Seeing their general wounded while rescuing him, he rushed over, supporting him, “General, you—you’re hurt!”

Gritting his teeth, Wang Lanping pulled the spear from his shoulder and tossed it aside. “No need to guard me. Don’t mind me—grab your swords and kill them!”

The man’s heart swelled with gratitude, a fierce loyalty shining in his eyes. He picked up a sword from the ground and shouted as he charged behind a Shun soldier tangled with others. Swiftly, his blade severed one of the enemy’s arms cleanly.

“Reinforcements have arrived! Anyone who wants to live, kill them!” Wang Lanping bellowed and charged down from the city tower. He intended to break through the city gate and join the reinforcements outside.

After a fierce struggle, despite the Shun army’s superior numbers, caught between attacks from inside and outside, they gradually faltered, pushed back step by step by the Wind Battalion surging from the city gate. Their morale plummeted once more.

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“Madmen… a bunch of madmen!” Li Laixiang, the Shun army commander, looked at these reckless defenders with awe. This was no longer a battle between men, but a fight against demons who feared nothing. Even now, they retained the strength to fight ten men at once. Why would Heaven send someone like Wang Lanping to this place? Was it because the Ming would never be extinguished?

He sighed deeply over the sudden reinforcements. Where could these troops have come from?

“Retreat!” Li Laixiang gave the bitter order. Continuing the fight would only cost countless lives before the city fell. The Ten Army’s main force was on its way; there was no need to risk his men’s lives here.

At his command, the Shun soldiers fled like a tide, discarding helmets and armor, legs spread wide as they desperately escaped the hellish city of Huaining—a nightmare they would never forget.

The Wind Battalion surged forward in pursuit, and the chase of a defeated, powerless enemy was exhilarating.

“We won! We won!” Soldiers and civilians inside and outside the city cheered. Relief and joy exploded after the deadly battle, laughter ringing out.

Wang Lanping exhaled deeply. The old saying that bravery decides victory was no empty slogan. Without courage, he could never have held on, nor awaited reinforcements. Thinking of the reinforcements, he looked around.

“Stop chasing! Return to the city. Clear the ramparts and reinforce the gates,” he ordered. The Shun army was too broken to launch another attack soon.

As twilight fell, Wang Lanping approached the Ming commander who had brought the reinforcements. From afar, he cupped his hands respectfully. “Thank you for your aid. May I ask, General, where do you come from?”

The man’s head was wrapped in a long turban. Though half a head shorter than Wang Lanping, his exposed muscles revealed great strength. His face often flashed with the heroic spirit of a true warrior.

“I am Zheng Sen from Quanzhou Prefecture. Greetings, Scholar Wang,” he returned the salute. “I am no general, and neither are the men I brought Ming soldiers.”

Wang Lanping seemed to recognize the name Zheng Sen but could not place it. Quanzhou was thousands of miles from Anqing Prefecture. How did he come to be here? He asked, “Then, brave warrior, what brings you here?”

Zheng Sen explained, “I was once a scholar from Quanzhou, but at the start of this year, I entered the National Academy in Jinling to study. When the emperor decreed the royal armies to march to the capital, I laid down my brush and joined the army under Commander Huang Degong in Chuzhou Prefecture. I waited months but saw no sign of Huang moving north. Frustrated, I left with a few retainers, recruiting soldiers and gathering refugees along the way. Fortunately, my family was well-off, and at one point, we numbered over a thousand. But when we reached Huaian Prefecture, Huang Degong’s men surrounded us, accusing me of raising troops illegally. They scattered my forces. With what remained, I wandered into Anqing Prefecture, hoping to find another way north. Then I heard Huaining City was besieged, and that the famous martial scholar was defending it. I, too, have trained in combat since youth and have long desired battle. By fate or chance, I now fight alongside you, a great honor.”

Hearing this, Wang Lanping laughed heartily and clapped Zheng Sen on the shoulder. “A hero asks no origin. What does it matter you were once a scholar? A true man’s ambition spans the world. With your skills, you are more than suited to be a general who commands ten thousand.”

Zheng Sen sheathed his long saber. “Thank you for your praise, General. I have traveled far, and Ming troops are scattered like leaves. Most commanders with strong forces watch from the sidelines, preserving strength. Only you fight the enemy head-on. I wish to serve under your banner—to kill the enemy and serve the nation.”

Wang Lanping welcomed this eagerly. The Wind Battalion was nearly wiped out; at this critical moment, fresh troops were invaluable—especially one like Zheng Sen. Though a scholar by background, his performance in battle was that of a fierce general. There was no reason to refuse him. It seemed news of Wang Lanping’s desperate fight in Huaining had spread dozens of miles, and more would come.

Smiling, Wang Lanping nodded. “Most welcome. Please, enter the city.”

“General Wang, please!” Zheng Sen placed his saber at his waist.

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Walking back together, Wang Lanping found Zheng Sen unusual. His weapon was unlike any standard Ming army equipment, nor typical of common folk. The blade was nearly three feet long, and the handle far exceeded that of a Ming saber. It looked exactly like a Japanese sword from a future era Wang had heard of. Watching how Zheng Sen sheathed his sword, it was clearly not Ming style. Curious, he asked, “Brave warrior, your sword is peculiar. It is certainly not from the Great Ming.”

Zheng Sen glanced at the long sword at his waist and casually said, “General, you have keen eyes. To be frank, this sword is called a tachi, from the Land of the Rising Sun. The blade is two feet eight inches long, forged of fine steel, suitable for cutting and stabbing.”

Wang Lanping frowned. Someone with such a sword must be descended from the Qi family army or connected to the Wokou pirates. Japanese swords were exclusive to samurai in this era, banned from trade and impossible to circulate in Ming lands. This only deepened Wang Lanping’s curiosity about Zheng Sen’s identity.

“Does your family have ties to the Qi family army?” Wang Lanping probed cautiously. In times of war, one should not interrogate too sharply when someone risks life to join.

Long ago, the Qi family army had defeated the Wokou pirates and seized many Japanese swords, so it was plausible such a sword ended up in Zheng Sen’s hands.

Zheng Sen smiled. “Alas, my ancestors never served under General Qi. My mother is from the Land of the Rising Sun, and I grew up there. This sword was given to me by her.”

Wang Lanping was greatly surprised. So this man was half Japanese—a Wokou pirate, then? “And your father?”

Hearing the question, Zheng Sen’s face flushed with shame. “My father’s name is Zhì Lóng.”

“Who? Zheng Zhì Lóng?” Wang Lanping stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. “Oh, forgive me, is your father the famous Fujian commander Zheng Zhì Lóng?”

“Indeed, my father.”

Wang Lanping stood speechless for a long moment. Good heavens! This man was none other than the historical and renowned Nationalist Lord, Zheng Chenggong! No wonder the name Zheng Sen sounded familiar. The Zheng family’s fame was immense, not only now but even four centuries later—dominant pirates of the southeastern coast, defeating the Dutch fleet called the “Carriers of the Sea,” dominating Southeast Asia, and defying even the Ming dynasty, which could only appease them by appointing Zheng Zhì Lóng as Fujian’s general.

Why would this Zheng Sen, son of such a mighty warlord, forsake his father’s vast armies to come here, a fallen tiger on the plains?

Wang Lanping restrained his emotions. “I have long heard of your father’s renown. But why would you forsake the nearby power and not ask him to lead troops northward?”

Zheng Sen’s expression darkened. After a pause, he said, “My father’s forces are insufficient. The Fujian coast is plagued by pirates, and though he wishes to help, he is powerless.”

From his tone and expression, Wang Lanping sensed this was not the whole truth. Perhaps he wished not to blame his father. Historically, Zheng Zhì Lóng was strong in this chaotic era, commanding three thousand ships and two hundred thousand troops at his peak. He would hardly be short of forces, more likely, like many southern commanders, he waited and watched. The Zheng family, far from the war in Fujian, lived like local emperors, free and untroubled. Unlike Zhang Xianzhong of Sichuan, who became a hero resisting the Qing, Zheng Zhì Lóng betrayed the Ming, surrendering to the Qing. Still, the Zheng pirate lord remained a high official of the Ming.

“A tiger does not beget a dog’s son. Brave Zheng, please!” They arrived at the city gate and stepped over piles of corpses to enter the city.

Suddenly, a bloodied official rushed to Wang Lanping, crying out loud, “General, Prefect Kong, he, he...”