Dandere General and his Lord

Burning Ambition

A’Feng raised his head and looked at the person standing on the steps, facing against the wind.

He recalled this man’s promise to himself.

“As long as you can get through this, I will grant you a surname.”

“Not only will you see this little bit, you will see even more. There will be no more slaves in this world. There will be no more children who will suffer the pain that you have suffered.”

He clenched his hand which hung beside him and for the first time in many years, he knelt down and prostrated with full willingness.

Lowering his head, he softly called out; 

“My Lord.”

He was declaring his intentions towards the Lord on this golden stage. The remainder of his life would belong solely to his Lord.

“My Lord! It’s My Lord.”

“Respects to My Lord.”

The crowd in the plaza shouted in unison and sank to their knees in prostration.

Cheng Qianye stood high above them and watched the twinkling golden lustre of different shades as they flashed within the crowd, one after another.

She had fantasized about seeing such a scene numerous times, hoping that her subjects could respect her from the heart and be loyal towards her just like this.

In her imagination, once she achieved this, her mind and heart would definitely be at ease and she would be filled with high-spirits and triumph.

But at this very moment, standing here as she looked down at the countless people who were more than willing to bend to their knees and lower their heads to her, she merely felt the heavy weight of the massive responsibilities upon her shoulders.

There were familiar friends and unfamiliar strangers there.

There were comrades who had been through life and death together as well as fellow soldiers who had fought side by side for the first time.

Without exception, all of them had entrusted their most precious lives to her. They looked up to her and trusted her.

They waited expectantly to witness the birth of the world which she had pledged to show them.

Cheng Qianye raised her head, her gaze travelling across the lofty city walls and landing on the distant mountains in the horizon which were bathed in the glow of the setting sun and the boundless rosy clouds which reflected the vastness of the sky.

I will walk forward, step by step, no more turning back, no more stopping.

With you all, I won’t let you down, rather I cannot afford to let you down.

Perhaps it might be impossible for me to sweep across the six directions1 of the land under the heavens and rule over the whole nation. Nevertheless, at the very least, I want every one of my people to be able to have the qualifications to live as a human being.

Yang Lu Hou secretly raised his head from within the crowd. “This, this is the Master.”

Someone within the crowd stretched out his hand and pressed him back down. Yang Sheng whispered softly, “Idiot, you can call him ‘My Lord’ now.”

“Right, right.” Yang Lu Hou lowered his head and stroked the ‘Verification’ tag next to his chest. “I am not a slave anymore, thanks to the benevolence of My Lord.”

Yang Sheng raised his head faintly and peered through the gaps in the crowd. He caught sight of the Lord, dressed in deep red attire as he descended from his high vantage point and moved to support the seriously wounded soldier draped in a loose robe as he knelt in obeisance. This soldier had just been bestowed with the surname of the nation, Cheng Feng.

He remembered this Cheng Feng. When they had arrived, part of the city wall had already been damaged. It was this man who had led a team of soldiers, all of them bathed in blood as they obstructed the enemy general, giving up their lives and refusing to retreat. And it was only because of this that they managed to hold on to the city gate.

He watched as the Lord personally supported the man to his feet before giving him his verification tablet which represented his fourth rank title of “Grand Officer”.

Yang Sheng thought inwardly that this Cheng Feng was truly lucky. He had guarded the city for so many days and the number of enemies he had cut down was unknown. Having made such achievements, he had leaped up to become a lower ranked official in one fell swoop.

It was important to note that there were twenty ranks in total. One could make it to the first three ranks by obtaining more enemy heads.

However, if you wanted to reach the fourth rank and higher, it was not that easy and it wouldn’t even be accessible to anyone who wasn’t at least the leader of their own squad. Your team was required to obtain a certain number of enemy heads in addition to making sure that casualties of the soldiers led by oneself should not be too large. In short, the conditions become more and more demanding.

But there were shortcuts as well. If one were to make any special contributions or perform outstandingly as part of a suicide squad, it might be possible for them to break into the higher ranks.

Yang Sheng looked at the two figures dressed in red and black who were standing before the Lord.

These two people had accumulated enough military merit that they had already gained some special privileges. They were exempt from corvee taxes and they wouldn’t even have to kneel down before the county magistrate.

And the other one who had stepped into the battlefield on the same day as himself had also gained the title of the highest rank among the civilians.

Yang Sheng’s eyes seemed to light up like fireworks, burning with an ambitious flame. I will not lose to them.

The Lord walked away under the protection of the armed guards. Suddenly, he turned back and glanced towards his direction. Yang Sheng was startled and lowered his head, feeling apprehensive.

Did My Lord see me?

He shouldn’t have, it must have been a coincidence.

But that day will arrive sooner or later. One day, I will make my lord see me and see the person I am.

Cheng Qianye departed from the east market square.

She and Xiao Jin went to see Yu Dunsu. He had been injured quite heavily and was currently lying in bed to recuperate. Seeing Cheng Qianye coming in, he tried to get up hastily to greet her.

Cheng Qianye stopped him and sat down at the round table in front of his bed. “This is wartime. General is injured and it is more important to nurse your wounds, there is no need to pay attention to these superficial formalities.”

Yu Dunsu struggled to sit up and raised himself slightly in salute. “Fortunately, My Lord arrived with more troops just in time, otherwise, even if we managed to defend Bianzhou, we would have definitely suffered heavy casualties.”

“But why did My Lord lead the men personally?” Xiao Jin asked in puzzlement, “Where are Zhang Fu and General Helan?”

“How can I lead the army by myself? That was just a pretence.” Cheng Qianye laughed. “I let Xiao Mo lead the soldiers.”

Yu Dunsu’s face was coloured with confusion. “Although Qiao Sheng is a valiant fighter, he was still just a slave. He has always been in charge of leading the slave troops who were responsible for courting death2 and filling in the numbers. Isn’t it too risky for My Lord to lead the army with him?”

“You don’t know yet.” Cheng Qianye bowed her head and straightened out her sleeves. “The majority of the troops who provided support this time were slaves.”

“The one who dashed to the front and broke through the enemy’s line was a slave, and the one who cut off the most heads was also a slave.” Cheng Qianye smiled slightly, her heart filled with emotion as she spoke, “Besides Xiao Mo and Cheng Feng, there are several other warriors who performed outstandingly on the battlefield. You may not guess that their identities are the most humble of men in your eyes.”

“In accordance with the new policy, I have released them from slavery and they have joined the ranks of the Jin Nation. Henceforth, the term “slave” will gradually cease to appear in our Jin Army. As two of my most trusted aides and commanders-in-chief, the both of you must take the lead in changing your inherent ideas.”

Yu Dunsu and Xiao Jin took in a deep breath and exchanged glances. Despite the fact that the new policy had been severely castigated by the decision-makers within the military, the defence of the city and the repulsion of the hostile forces this time were really dependent on the implementation of the new policy.

Xiao Jin’s expression was still dignified as he gave a deep salute. “Although Bianzhou is important, My Lord is the master of our Great Jin and your body is invaluable. It is really unwise for you to wade into such a dangerous situation. If I had been in Jiangzhou, I would not have agreed with you coming in person.”

“If I must watch unfeelingly as the both of you get killed and Bianzhou falls into the enemy’s hands, I am not qualified to be your Lord.” Cheng Qianye said. “Our Bianzhou was surrounded for a long time this time and not only did the neighbouring lords ignore my letters requesting for their assistance, but even those counselors with private soldiers in our very own Jin did their very best to evade and refuse to help us.”

“This war, I vowed to stand with the soldiers of our Jin Nation and repel the Quanrong Army on our own. I will raise the prestige of our Jin Army in front of the world and give those people who are only interested in saving their own necks a firm slap in the face. And I hope that the two of you will aid me in this endeavour!” 

The military power of the State of Jin was not strong and it had been in a state of being oppressed by the border nations for several years. As officials in the army, they often had a stifling sense of frustration in their hearts.

When Yu Dunsu and Xiao Jin heard these words from their Lord, they felt their hearts igniting with passion, sweeping away the foul grievance that had built up in their hearts over the years. They both cupped their fists together and said, “I pledge my life to follow My Lord!”

Cheng Qianye: “As for General Helan, I have sent him to take care of another matter. If he succeeds, the Quanrong Army will retreat at once.”

At that moment, Helan Zhen was leading 8000 troops from the Helan family and urgently travelling along the bank of the Ji River.

All of them were dressed in the clothing of Quanrong soldiers and holding wooden pegs3 in their mouths as they led their horses who had their mouths bound shut with each of them carrying a bundle of firewood as they walked quietly in the dark.

Their destination was Huangchi which was 20 kilometers to the north of the Quanrong Army’s barracks.

This place was used to store the army’s provisions and it was guarded by around 10 thousand Quanrong soldiers.

Helan Zhen tightened his grip over the hilt of his sword, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.

The Lord had personally led an army comprised of slaves and new recruits in order to support Bianzhou.

In any case, this army that had been pieced together at the last minute wouldn’t be able to stand a long-lasting confrontation against a normal and experienced army.

Even if they relied on a moment of courage and faced against the enemy and repelled them away from the city, they could only save the city from the danger of the siege for a short time.

In the case of a protracted war of resistance, it would be especially easy for the new recruits to feel panicked and become afraid of war. Ineffective management, defeat, dispersion and mutiny, it was possible for any of these things to happen at any time.

The face of the person who was always smiling and spoke gently appeared in Helan Zhen’s mind.

My Lord is already in danger. Win or lose, it all ends here. I must seize Huangchi and burn the enemy’s provisions in order to save Bianzhou from danger.

In the dead of the night.

The Quanrong sentry standing on the watchtower yawned quietly.

In his impression, the soldiers from the Central Plains were weak and easily bullied. On the battlefield, they often occupied a dominant position when it came to numbers, yet they collapsed easily once they were touched, allowing them to burn, kill and plunder as they wished.

Who would have thought that the two important generals Mo Zang Peizhen and Wei Mingshan would lead an army of several thousands to besiege one small and insignificant Bianzhou and attack the city for longer than a month, but they had still not managed to break through the city walls.

And yet, the day before yesterday, he had heard that the commanding general of Bianzhou had received a severe injury which had led him to assume that the city walls would be broken in a few days. It was a pity that he could only stay here to guard the army’s provisions and couldn’t follow the army into the city and take advantage of the favourable situation to plunder the city.

While standing in a daze, he suddenly saw the shadows of the trees swaying in front of him. It seemed as though a team of men and horses were approaching in the darkness of the night.

Looking at them from afar, they appeared to be holding up the marks of their own military unit in addition to being attired in their clothes.

The sentry standing on the watchtower flashed a signal to the other sentries on duty who were guarding the entrance below him.

Our people.

The team walked closer and closer. Their faces were all smeared with ash and they appeared calm, not saying a word.

The sentry on guard asked questions and the soldier in lead charged forward along with his horse and stabbed him in one go before dashing into the camp.

The sentry at the watchtower hastily tried to ring the alarm bell.

Several sharp arrows whizzed through the air and sank into his chest. He barely managed to strike the bell before falling off the platform.

The camp fell into chaos for a moment before the alarm bell rang belatedly.

Countless Quanrong soldiers were awoken from their sleep and got up hurriedly before grabbing their weapons and rushing out of their tents. There were fires everywhere in the camp and they saw the high stacks of grain blazing with flames, spewing out thick clouds of smoke into the sky.

The camp was filled with the sounds of slaughter with men and horses running around all over the place. In the storm of blades, it was difficult for one to distinguish friend from foe, their swords even falling on their red eyes companions.

Their great army collapsed with everyone pushing and shoving against each other, trampling others beneath their feet and leaving corpses strewn around for more than a hundred li.

All the way to the break of day, Helan Zhen killed and burnt down the enemy’s supplies and provisions, wiping out more than a thousand enemy soldiers.

~

1. Six directions = north, east, west, south, up & down.
2. (送死 – sòng sǐ) Literally translates to seeking death. Cause the slave soldiers were placed at the most dangerous points in the army formation, not to mention inferior armor and weapons. They were pretty much there to be meatshields for the “actual” soldiers and fill in numbers, thus, seeking death.
3. (枚 – méi) In ancient times soldiers would hold these wooden pegs shaped like chopsticks in their mouths to prevent noise when they were marching [gag]