018 Three Thousand Fallen Corpses

The emaciated body of Kong Rusong, the Magistrate of Huaining, leaned against the thigh of a yamen runner. His face was devoid of color, his eyes tightly shut, and his right hand still gripped a blood-stained broadsword. The rank badge on his official robe was soaked in blood, torn open by a gaping hole where a soldier of the Shun army had run him through.

"Magistrate Kong! Sir! Please, hold on! Someone, fetch a physician!" Although Wang Lanping had only known Magistrate Kong for a few days, their mutual appreciation—a bond between generations—and their shared, unwavering devotion to the Ming dynasty had made them feel as though they had met too late in life. He rushed to Kong’s side, pressing his hand against the wound on the man’s chest, calling out in desperation.

The unconscious Magistrate suddenly opened his eyes wide, clutching at Wang Lanping’s robes. "General... flee!"

With these words, a gush of blood poured from his mouth. He loosened his grip on his sword, laboriously adjusted the seventh-rank black gauze cap on his head, and murmured faintly, "I have fulfilled my duty to the Great Ming."

He breathed his last on the spot.

Kong Rusong’s death cast the entire yamen into mourning. It was a respect he had earned. It is often said that officials are like flowing water while the yamen is the iron-wrought vessel, yet Kong Rusong had served in Huaining for seven years. While he lacked the grand achievements that would make him famous at court, he possessed a benevolence that stood for the people’s welfare. From the county assistant down to the head jailer, every official and clerk had benefited from his kindness. Who could not be moved by his integrity—choosing to serve for seven years in a single post, refusing to engage in corruption, and working solely for the good of the people? If a man can persist for seven years without accepting bribes, without playing favorites, and by dispensing justice fairly, even if it were a pretense, it would be enough to make the entire city weep for him.

The moonlight was cold and the night wind mournful. Torches planted throughout Huaining flickered in the wind, and the corpses on the city walls had already been cleared away.

Wang Lanping stood silently on the watchtower. In today’s battle, five hundred of his seven hundred soldiers had been buried in this foreign land, and most of the remaining two hundred were wounded. Even the yamen runners, who had never known the meaning of war, had suffered over fifty percent casualties. More than a hundred of the local townspeople who had spontaneously joined the defense had also perished on the walls. In just one day, over a thousand lives had been lost. Wang Lanping felt an unprecedented sense of despair. He owed these people, and the Ming dynasty owed them as well.

Zheng Sen and Song Dali approached. Zheng Sen said, "General, the battlements have been reinforced, and the city gates have been repaired."

Wang Lanping gazed toward the distant campfires of the Shun army and nodded. "Your efforts are appreciated. Captain Song, make arrangements to have the sections of the wall guarded by the townspeople handed over to the men of the Zheng contingent. Ask the townspeople to return home and rest. Record the names of all the fallen. At dawn, send their bodies home and provide the official Ming military pension to their families; the funds can be drawn from the yamen treasury."

Song Dali acknowledged the order and withdrew.

After Song Dali left, Wang Lanping noticed someone who seemed to have been standing behind him for a long time, as still as a temple guardian, clutching a long spear and remaining motionless less than five feet away.

Wang Lanping glanced at the man; it was the soldier from the Feng Battalion whom he had saved from the blades of the Shun army earlier that day.

"Why are you still here?" Wang Lanping did not recall summoning him.

"Reporting to the General, this life of mine belongs to you. Before today, I only knew how to sell my life for others, but today you risked your own to save me. I cannot repay such a debt, so I will stand behind you for the rest of my life. If anyone wants to harm the General, they will have to go through me first." His reply was resolute, spoken without hesitation, and the expression on his face was one of absolute certainty.

"What is your name?" Wang Lanping had not expected that a casual act of kindness would earn such gratitude. On a battlefield filled with flashing blades, he would have helped anyone in that situation.

"Reporting to the General, my name is Li Qimei. I am from Sichuan."

"What? Li Qimei?" Wang Lanping looked at Zheng Sen, and both men couldn't help but turn their heads and smile. Wang Lanping said, "You are a sturdy fellow, why are you called 'Seventh Sister'?"

The guards standing nearby couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Li Qimei swallowed hard. "What are you laughing at? My mother gave birth to six boys in a row and desperately wanted a girl. She never expected that when I was born, I would be a boy too, so she gave me this name. There was nothing else to be done!"

Wang Lanping and Zheng Sen finally could not contain themselves, laughing heartily as they looked at each other. Zheng Sen gave a thumbs-up. "Your mother is quite something."

Li Qimei scratched his head and chuckled.

Wang Lanping said, "That name of yours... it sounds a bit feminine. How about I give you a new name?"

Li Qimei nodded immediately; he had been teased for that name for over twenty years. "That would be great! The General is a top scholar; you are a learned man."

Wang Lanping smiled slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "The vast Ming Dynasty is now reduced to this precarious, storm-tossed half-empire in the south. As soldiers of the Ming, we should strive to quell the chaos, secure the peace, and revive the nation. You shall be called Li Dingguo."

Li Qimei’s eyes lit up. Although he did not fully understand the meaning of the words, they sounded masculine and filled with spirit. He nodded repeatedly. "That is good, that is good! Dingguo... from today on, my name is Li Dingguo!"

Wang Lanping also nodded. There was a famous Southern Ming general in history also named Li Dingguo; he wondered if his reckless renaming would have any significance.

Li Dingguo laughed for a while, then suddenly wept, looking up at the western night sky. "Mother, if your spirit is in heaven, please bless my son and protect General Wang so he may live a long life. Mother, Qimei has a real name today—Li Dingguo!"

Wang Lanping patted Li Dingguo on the shoulder. "Your mother has heard you."

Hearing Li Dingguo call out to his mother, Wang Lanping couldn't help but think of his own mother and Yunniang, who had never enjoyed a day of wealth. He wondered if they were far away from this war-torn Huaining—but wait, where could they even go?

"Magistrate Kong..." Wang Lanping started to call for Kong Rusong, only then remembering that he had died in battle. *Where did he send my mother? In these chaotic times, nowhere is safe.*

Zheng Sen asked, "Is something wrong, General?"

Wang Lanping looked around, then fixed his gaze on Li Dingguo. "Li Dingguo, can you do something for me?"

Li Dingguo puffed out his chest. "I await your command, General."

Huaining was still on the edge of the battlefield. He knew that the families of all the soldiers defending the city were not with them; everyone had abandoned their wives and homes to risk their lives by his side. He pulled Li Dingguo to a sheltered spot and spoke in a low voice, "Brother, I have a favor to ask. I cannot leave Huaining for the moment. My mother and a friend have fled the city to escape the war. In these turbulent times, I fear for their safety. Could you help me find them?"

Li Dingguo agreed without hesitation. "I am willing."

"Good. They were lowered from the East Gate this afternoon. There are four of them in total, three women and one man. Among them is a girl named Yunniang. They shouldn't have gone far. Follow the road east of the city and search for them. If you find them, take them to a safe place first, then come back to me. If you cannot find me, ask for the Feng Battalion."

Li Dingguo nodded. "Understood."

Wang Lanping could only entrust his filial duties to him. He prayed to heaven that his mother would be safe, and Yunniang and her family as well.

Li Dingguo turned back to the yamen, took some travel money, changed into commoner’s clothes, and hid a short blade on his person. He slipped out into the darkness and headed toward the East Gate, where he descended the wall. Outside, the city was deathly quiet under the hazy moonlight. He ran for over a hundred paces away from the wall, found a small path leading south, and set off in pursuit, hoping for a stroke of luck.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Wang Lanping, who had not removed his armor, was awakened from his nap on the battlements by a nudge.

"General, look!" It was Song Dali and Zheng Sen, pointing toward the outside of the city with tense expressions.

Wang Lanping stretched his aching body and stood up.

Outside the city, there was a lone horseman, no more than an arrow's flight away. Another man ran forward, reaching the piles of corpses beneath the city walls, causing a swarm of flies to scatter in alarm.

"The vanguard general of the Great Shun requests that General Wang come out of the city for a parley!" After saying this, the man ran back to stand behind Li Laiheng.

Zheng Sen asked, "What does this mean? Do they want to negotiate for peace?"

Song Dali pondered and said, "General, you must not go. Be careful of a trap."

Wang Lanping yawned. "A trap, my foot. How many men do we have left? If they launch another attack, we’re finished anyway. I might as well go and hear what he has to say."

Zheng Sen gripped the hilt of his katana. "I will accompany you."

Wang Lanping nodded. "Very well. Let’s go and meet him. Captain Song, keep a close watch on the walls. Beware of a sneak attack."

"Yes!"

The newly repaired city gates creaked open, and Wang Lanping and Zheng Sen rode out. The air outside was foul—if they didn't clear the bodies soon, the whole city would likely be struck by an epidemic. There were at least two thousand corpses piled beneath the walls.

The two men stopped about twenty paces from Li Laiheng.

Wang Lanping asked, "Why have you summoned me?"

Li Laiheng held a shred of admiration for a hero like Wang Lanping, who was a worthy adversary. Though they served different masters, heroes often respected heroes. He clasped his hands. "May I ask if you are the top scholar, General Wang?"

Wang Lanping also saluted. "I am. And you are Li Laiheng?"

Li Laiheng urged his horse forward a few steps. "I am."

Wang Lanping said, "General Li, are you here to persuade me to surrender? If so, I advise you not to waste your breath."

Li Laiheng laughed. "Why not surrender, Scholar Wang? You are a martial man, surely you understand military affairs. Huaining is small and its forces are weak; it is hard to defend. Why suffer through a futile struggle?"

Wang Lanping also laughed. "Then why, General Li, do you not withdraw your troops? Though Huaining is small, it is enough to keep you at bay."

Both were boasting; neither was certain they could truly destroy the other. They exchanged a knowing look and laughed in unison, as if old friends reminiscing on a battlefield piled high with the dead.

Wang Lanping rode his horse to the side, and Li Laiheng spurred his mount to follow. Zheng Sen wanted to follow, but after a moment's hesitation, he stayed put, his hand never leaving his sword hilt.

The two rode out for a hundred paces. Wang Lanping remained silent, knowing that since the other party had initiated the meeting, it was not merely for the sake of bluster.

Both were commanding generals; sometimes the outcome of a battle depended entirely on a commander's composure. A cool head prevented one from losing their footing. Like now, both had things to say, and neither wanted this war to continue this way, but neither wanted to be the first to speak.

After another hundred paces, Li Laiheng could no longer contain himself. According to scouts, Yuan Zongdi’s army of one hundred thousand was less than a hundred miles away. If he hadn't taken Huaining by the time they arrived, he would have no face left as a vanguard general.

Li Laiheng pulled on his reins and said, "Scholar Wang, this battle has shown that you are a rare military talent. The Ming is already dead. You are such a young hero, why die for a lost cause? If you defect to our dynasty, I guarantee I will let bygones be bygones and personally recommend your talents to the Emperor of the Great Shun. You will surely be granted the rank of a prince or a noble in the future."