Chapter 72: Section Twenty

The dust was still far off at the edge of sight, yet it rolled upward to the skyline. Huang Shi understood in his heart: at least a thousand horsemen were sweeping toward them. If the Later Jin vanguard had not been so arrogant, thinking defeating Ming troops was too easy, they would never have suffered that earlier defeat. But still, it seemed they were finished.

"Elder Brother." In his heart Huang Shi seemed to have a thousand words, but after holding them in for a long while he could not utter a single one.

More and more Ming soldiers also saw this strange sight. The seething hot blood in the soldiers' chests turned cold as frost in an instant.

"Second Brother, this is where you and I, brothers, will be buried." Kong Youde's expression suddenly relaxed, as if in an instant he had cast off a ten-thousand-jin burden from his shoulders.

Laughing without cease, Kong Youde climbed to the highest peak of the hill and clasped his fist in a mock salute to the whole army: "Gentlemen, we have less than a shichen left. When the time comes, let us exert our last ounce of strength for our elders and kinsmen."

Huang Shi stood to the side in silence. If Kong Youde died here, the only explanation was that he himself had brought this influence. Perhaps these Later Jin soldiers had come pursuing him; perhaps he had slowed Kong Youde's march.

Not far in front of Kong Youde, a middle-aged soldier tightly held a gravely wounded young soldier; they looked like father and son. Hearing Kong Youde's words, the one who looked like a father suddenly raised his head and shouted:

"My lord! All three of us, father and sons, are here. Your subordinate has only two sons. The elder son is already beyond help. I beg my lord's mercy — let my younger son, Ji Si, leave!" By the end, the father's tears and mucus flowed together, his voice broken by sobs.

Huang Shi saw that the young soldier had lost an arm and lay limp in his father's embrace. He weakly shifted his arm, and the severed stump swayed with it. Brother Ji seemed to want to comfort his father with a few words, but the moment he opened his mouth blood gushed out. He made a few rasping sounds and then closed his mouth again.

Without waiting for Kong Youde to speak, Huang Shi stepped forward: "It was already said that the younger sons should leave with the main force. Why did your son still stay?"

From beside the father, a young soldier stepped forward: "In reply to General Huang, my nephew left with his mother and sisters. Your subordinate chose to die with his father and elder brother."

Kong Youde swept his gaze over the silent soldiers around him and shouted in a deep voice: "Whose family is in the same situation? Step forward at once. While there is still time, leave immediately."

Three more youths were pushed forward by their fathers or elder brothers to stand before Kong Youde. These three were named Xiao Bailang, Zhen Yu, and Wen Tesi.

Kong Youde turned to Huang Shi and said: "Brother, take these four and leave. On festivals and at year's end, do not forget to pour a cup of wine for your elder brother."

Huang Shi slowly shook his head. A warrior's heroic spirit still filled his chest: "Elder Brother, why say such things? Your younger brother said he would live and die together with you."

Hearing the sincerity in Huang Shi's tone, Kong Youde nearly shed tears. He gripped Huang Shi's shoulder and shook it: "Good, good brother..." The words that followed could no longer come out.

"Gentlemen, you have done very well!" Kong Youde suddenly raised his head and shouted: "Our kin are safe. They will surely avenge us!"

Kong Youde's personal guard captain, Lu Yinnong, suddenly rushed forward and cried out: "For the two generals to die here is utterly meaningless. Your subordinates beg you, my lords, to take ten years as your term and avenge us."

With that, Lu Yinnong called out, and several personal guards hastily stripped the armor and clothing from Kong Youde and Huang Shi, then dressed them both in common soldiers' clothes. One man even grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it across Huang Shi's face.

"My lords, remember — ten years." Lu Yinnong again shouted loudly: "You must avenge your subordinates."

"Within ten years, you must avenge us. You must avenge your subordinates." Hundreds of Ming soldiers who had been silent suddenly shouted as well: "If the two generals do not avenge us, we will not close our eyes even in death!"

While Kong Youde and Huang Shi were changing clothes, Lu Yinnong had already donned Kong Youde's armor, mounted Kong Youde's horse, and begun issuing orders.

The soldier who had exchanged clothes with them suddenly cried out: "Generals, forgive us. These clothes are full of lice. You two generals will have to endure some hardship."

"This whole journey has been hard on you two generals." Another officer who had changed into Huang Shi's clothes bowed deeply to them, then turned, clapped his hands, and called to the soldiers: "Brothers, let us sing — to send off the two generals and our kin, and to let the Jian slaves hear our resounding voices."

The Ming soldiers sat down on the ground in groups, striking their shields with swords and blades. The archers also beat time on their iron bows with feathered arrows. Those gravely wounded soldiers who had not yet lost consciousness struggled to raise their upper bodies, spat the foul blood from their mouths, waved broken arms and stumps, and together with everyone sang "The Girl Next Door."

Kong Youde, Huang Shi, and the others led their horses and slipped away behind the hill. The singing followed their hurried departing steps.

After running several li, Huang Shi's muddled mind was gradually cleared by the wind. Kong Youde suddenly pulled on the reins: "Halt."

After being stopped by Kong Youde's shout, Huang Shi saw that Kong Youde had also fully awakened. He pondered for a few seconds, then jumped off his horse: "We're going back. We'll circle around to that hill to the east."

"Why?" At this moment, Huang Shi's blood was up; he had none of his usual quick wits.

"It's hard to guarantee no one will be left alive," Kong Youde's tone was both pained and heavy. "The Jian slaves may learn that we left, and they may send elite riders in pursuit. So we circle back east and hide first."

Quietly circling to the hill in the east, Huang Shi hid behind a boulder and peered west. The main Later Jin force was surrounding the Ming troops. The west wind blew in their faces. The Later Jin's rising and falling horns, the clamor of men and neighing of horses, could not drown out the Ming soldiers' singing. A love song tinged with melancholy grew ever more joyful the more they sang.

The singing held longing for kin, desire for life, and even more, pride and honor in loyalty. This singing touched Huang Shi's soul and wrapped around his heart, so that he did not notice the whispered words of the four young soldiers behind him.

Huang Shi only saw Kong Youde suddenly draw his blade and parry a sharp sword aimed at Huang Shi. Breaking out in a cold sweat, Huang Shi hastily turned around, also drew his blade, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Kong Youde. The two long blades together pointed at those four traitors.

Fury blazed in Kong Youde's eyes: "What are you doing? Have you rebelled?"

"That's right, we've rebelled. We're going to surrender." The youth at the front was none other than Ji Si. Though his voice trembled, the tip of his blade pointing at Kong Youde did not waver in the slightest.

After a start, Huang Shi instead grew calm. He sneered and asked: "By doing this, can you face your fathers and elder brothers?"

"We are doing this precisely for our fathers and elder brothers." Again it was Ji Si who answered: "The heads of the two generals are worth a great deal. If we present them to the Jian slaves, the Jian slaves will surely spare our families."

"Heart of a wolf, lungs of a dog." Kong Youde grinned savagely and traced a circle in the air with his blade: "Come on, you little whelps, and see how your grandpa deals with you."

"Hold," Huang Shi suddenly lowered his blade. He stood sideways and listened intently to the singing that the wind kept carrying over. The singing, amid the war drums and horns, still came through unbroken like a thread.

Huang Shi thrust his blade into the ground with his right hand and pointed at the battlefield with his left: "Can you hear it?"

"Does General Huang have more to say?" Tears welled in Ji Si's eyes. His blade sank a little: "There is no time."

"I cannot see your fathers and elder brothers, but this singing — this singing can only be sung so joyfully by people with smiles on their faces." Huang Shi's expression was dazed, as if he could no longer see the danger to his life at all. His gaze followed his arm as he looked toward that small hill, turning the back of his head to the four soldiers.

"Your fathers and elder brothers must be smiling right now, because they know you are safe. They know their kin are all safe. They are also laughing at the enemy before them, because they know we will avenge them. In the Nine Springs below, they will be able to drink deep of their enemies' blood. Because this is what General Kong and I promised them. They know they will not be disappointed, and they will leave behind no regrets."

The facial muscles of all four youths began to twitch, and the tips of their blades all began to tremble.

"Your brave fathers and elder brothers — the Jian slaves' blades will cut off their heads and hoist them on spear points. But their strands of heroic spirits will surely follow us to Lüshun, will protect us, will keep us company. Yes, it will surely be so. They must watch us recover Liaodong and exterminate the Jian slaves to the last."

The singing could no longer be heard in the wind; it was replaced entirely by the sounds of slaughter. Huang Shi and the others all saw the Later Jin launch their assault. The red banner on the distant hill still stood erect.

"They are defending our Great Ming's military banner, hoping that General Kong and I can leave safely. They are waiting for us to avenge them. Before they close their eyes, they must be gazing south. Their heroic spirits will gaze south forever." Huang Shi let out a heavy sigh, turned his head, and looked at the tear-streaked youths before him. The grief in his heart spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.

As Huang Shi sheathed his blade, he took a great stride forward and shouted in a deep voice: "If you want to save your fathers and elder brothers, then act quickly. Otherwise it will be too late."

"General, I was wrong." Ji Si cried out, threw down his weapon, collapsed to the ground, clutched his head, and wept bitterly. The other three also slowly knelt toward the battlefield. Kong Youde watched them warily. Huang Shi shook his head at him. Kong Youde hesitated, then also put his blade away.

After a while, Ji Si was the first to stand again. His face was full of resolve: "Your subordinate will now apologize to the two generals and beg forgiveness. I wish the two generals a smooth journey, and I beg General Huang and General Kong not to forget today's promise."

Huang Shi grabbed him at once: "What are you going to do?"

"My lord, your subordinate no longer has the face to live in this world, nor the face to see his father and elder brother. I am willing to become a lonely wandering ghost right here." The youth grew more agitated as he spoke:

"General Huang, your subordinate will gaze south from this mountain every night. When the general raises his army on the northern expedition, your subordinate will surely cheer the royal army from this mountain and pray for the general's blessing!"

Huang Shi waited until he had vented everything, then softly asked in return: "Why do you have no face to live on? Because you wanted to save your father's and elder brother's lives?"

"Ji Si, I ask you — no, I ask all four of you — are you willing to follow me, to go and demand the blood debt from the Jian slaves, to cut off Nurhaci's head with your own hands, and to use the hot blood from his heart to make offerings to your fathers and elder brothers?"

Huang Shi gave another great shout: "Answer me — are you willing?"