The Path Of Li 2z4nn

The Path of Li

by Magomet Timov

Annotation

This Historical Novel is set during the Great Chinese Rebellion in the years 1629 - 1644. We would be following the protagonist's life - the unique personality in this ancient and incredible history. A man of simple beginnings, against all odds, led the most significant rebellion in China's history. A man of courage and unstoppable will who took a chance to go against great Emperors. Our novel will take you this his life journey and military accomplishments. In this novel, you will discover not only how we were able to succeed but what his action brought to the state and how it shaped its future. Lose yourself in the journey to the forbidden world of a great Empire.

Authors Notes

The vast majority of the novel's facts are retrieved from available educational sources and based on thorough research completed by the author himself. Academic works such as "Faces of the Middle Kingdom" by A. Bokshchanin and O. Nepomnin, "The History of China" (9 volumes, edited by O. Nepomnin), as well as famous Chinese works, such as "Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way and Its Virtue", "Sun Tzu: The Art of War", "River Creek", have helped him to shape the story. The author has worked closely and wishes to express his gratitude to the Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of "Altaistics "Statisticsogy at Institute of International Relations of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Dmitry Evgenievich Martynov. Int, his book Author, wishes to portray China's History in the language that is acceptable and adaptable for Eastern European and Central European Cultures, which haven't been explored in those cultures. The author aim was to highlight the geopolitical situation in China, compared to the position of Easter Europe and Central Europe were. During this period in Russia father of Csar Peter the Great was born, and back in the United Kingdom, Carl the First has just reformed a parliament system. The new generation has been very well informed of what was happening during those time in western culture; however, they have minimal exposure to how fascinating it was in China during that period. With this book, the author aims to bring China's history closer to the everyday reader. A story of love, adventure, revenge filled with emotions and disasters will let you explore a forgotten world of China.

***

In now distant 1606, a comet has risen above the Chinese Empire. An enormous unearthly object hanged itself upon great Empire, throwing its flames on the filled and bringing fear to the whole existence itself—a beginning of a legacy that will end the Empire. You could hear them whispering and mumbling that the earth would be gone and a great dynasty of Min would be destroyed. So who are the chosen ones? What could this unearthly object possibly mean for the current generation? On the same night, two boys were born, each of them been brought under the comet's existence. A boy in a rustic widowers family was born under this star, and following that, a boy was brought into light in merchants family. Less than a quarter of a century later, those boys' self-existence would spread fear among the Emperors great army and himself personally. This novel is dedicated to Li Zicheng, which changed history as we perceive now and proclaimed himself a great Emperor of China. This novel embarks on the story of an ancient philosopher meeting a young warrior. Li Zicheng was on his way to his native village while leaving all the wars behind him. He has recognised the philosopher on his journey and has favoured him to make him a company. Once Li reaches his village, the only thing he could witness is a pile of ashes and dirt. In light of anger and devastation, his heart is filled with revenge. He gives the oath to avenge his blood and a rebellion. They were fearsome horseman who dared to rise against the great Emperor.

Our story is set in 1629, during a great droughts era, which led to hanger and devastation among its citizens. This catastrophic even lead to countless death and migration from the state. Locals have fled the state in the hope to find a new home and a better place to live in. Anyone who has left been suppressed by the Emperor's army. Those actions have let to the largest rebellion, which took a long life span between 1629 right till 1644. And at the end, it leads Dynasty Min to be overthrown from the throne, which ruled China for over 300 years. For the Great Chinese Empire, this war was proclaimed the most brutal in its history, which lasted for several decades.

***

Prologue

The Sunset was hanging above the forest ranges of the Tai Hushan mountains with its last rays. And at the same moment, darkness was approaching from East. Shadows of night arrive quickly in highlands. And you can feel a whole scenery quiets down before the last ray of the sun disappears. Nights in the mountains are by no means a time of serene peace, no matter how hard the monotonous sounds of a nearby waterfall try to lull a casual traveller. During this time, spirits and animals take over the land. And perhaps with some o the creatures from a spirit world, you could find common ground, but never with the ruler of wilderness - Great Chinese Tiger. Tiger will never give up on his prey, whether it be a stray traveller or an antelope that has become separated from the flock. He walked along a mountain path, graceful and irresistible, like the Emperor himself. Beast was only five years old, in the prime of his strength and power.

He strolled around the land, as he was a house cat, with no eager of aggression. His indifference to his surrounding was incredible. In contrast to the cat, the Tiger had recently satisfied his belly with a farmers buffalo that inadvertently approached his possessions in search of food. Everything that happened later was familiar: a quick leap and a grip on the cervical artery. A few swift blows of mighty fangs warranted a well-fed life for at least a couple of days for the predator. And now he was walking through the summer forest, rubbing his glossy sides against the trunks of young trees, leaving flocks of royal fur as marks of his territory. It was his land, and all the creatures have felt his presence. His ears caught the slightest sound of the approaching night. While he majestically strolled around the wilderness, his subtle hearing caught an unusual dissonance in this familiar background, something unfamiliar and therefore alarming. He has gasped momentarily and roared softly into the darkness. He paced himself slowly through his land and was approaching slowly to the unfamiliar scent. He could resemble the scent, and it was human blood. The majestic creature was stung and rose immediately. Humans were around. He knows what it means to encounter humans—creatures who arrive at his land and act as lords. A couple of years ago, one Man left a scar on the Tiger's left side

with his Claw when, being young and foolish, he approached the fire of several travellers who were putting up for the night on the mountain . Back then, he managed to escape, but he had to lick the wound in a thicket on the nearest plateau for a few weeks.

There was a man lying by the river shore, clutching the wound with his hands, almost invisible under his ropes. The Tiger stood and hung his paw in the air as his eyes focused deadly on the prey. But something was off about this prey. He could sense the smell of a man; it was strong and fearless; his scent wasn't an ordinary men's scent. It made him fear and respect a wounded man. He knew that is another alpha stands in front of him, perhaps not in the best physical shape, but his spirit has stood strong. They have gazed upon each other eyes, and a man has shown no fear. After a few long-lasting seconds, Tiger has roared at the stranger and disappeared into nearby bushes. The warrior exhaled with relief he couldn't understand. Death retreated, although he knew it would not be for long. His days were counted, and he perfectly knew that wounds such as that would lead to death. He could only praise the gods for letting him his last few moments at such a graceful place. He could feel the breath of death on his shoulder, and for the last moment of his existence, he wanted to gaze at the night sky, a sapphire coloured sky. His conscience was slowly slipping from his mind, and his vision was getting blurry. He shut his eyes, and with his last breath, he tried to think about something pleasant. Realising all his life have been filled with deaths, wars and brawls. The warrior shook his head, chasing away the obsession, and tried to capture the vision of sparkling clear mountain water, rushing by in a swift stream like the River of Time. But even this clear liquid was coloured by blood. The warrior sighed and closed his eyes again. After all, he had lived a decent life as a common man, a warrior, a military leader, and even an Emperor! He loved and was loved. The warrior raised the blade above his head, lifting it to heaven, and, closing his eyes, plunged into the crimson waters… The Tiger looked gloomily from the bushes on the opposite bank, watching the Man reach for his Claw and press it to his chest, his lips moving in an effort to utter something. Life was already leaving the tortured body. The Man opened his eyes for the last time to reflect the darkening sky, took a deep breath, stretched out and died... The Tiger shook his forehead, paying an involuntary tribute to the courage of an unknown creature, which did not beg for mercy in his last minutes and slipped into the thicket. The Man who found peace on the shore was the one who had been the hope and horror of the people of the Great

Empire for the last decades. Now he went on his last Path beyond the Crimson Rivers.



Chapter 1

Chao Li, better accepted in his circles as 'Stone Head', truly lived up to his nickname. As a matter of fact, during the patrol, he has let a traveller enter the camp—a camp whose sole purpose of being in distinguished. An old man has appeared in a hastily patched-up dress at the edge of the marge so that Livay He, the leader of the gang, was taken by surprise. A gang of robbers, who just moments ago were happily dining, froze in surprise, looking at the crooked figure of the stranger wandering towards their fires. Livay was the first to come to his senses as a true leader would. He put his bowl of rice on the flat stone that they had for the table, slowly got up to meet the old man and, stretching out his hand, and said :

"Stay where you are, old Man. I have no idea how you got into the camp, but the next step will be your last step," The old man froze. It seemed that he was frightened to the point of trembling in his knees, but the experienced eye of the leader caught a slight spark of mockery in the stranger's dim eyes.

"I am sorry if I bothered your morning feast" - an old man has spitted back at Livay He. His voice temper made the leader realise he might not be speaking just a too ordinary traveller. "I was not aware you have set up the camp here; perhaps if I knew, I would have taken another path." On the contrary, Livay put his hands on his hips and took a step towards the old man.

"Livay He does not fight with children or old people", the robber dropped casually, slightly bowing his head in front of the uninvited guest. "We only here to take what ours, right boys?" The "gang", who had previously listened cautiously to the dialogue between the leader and the strange guest, began to gurgle in relief, and the old man took this gurgle as a dull approval. He could

sense the leadership of Livay He in the crowd. "As for this cunning rascal Shitou, who managed to sleep on you," he raised his voice in a dramatic manner, "he will get what he deserves as soon as he returns to the camp from his shift." "You are a cruel leader",, the old man bowed. "...cruel but fair," the strange traveller finished his sentence, raising his eyes and looking straight at the bridge of He's nose. He recoiled involuntarily.

"Otherwise, how could you explain that you have massacred a family from Mozun village? Have they eaten from gold plates and wore silks?" A leader has frozen, same as his gang. They were uncertain what could have to lead a strange traveller to say those words. They have all glanced upon the path a man has taken to see whether he brought with him Emperor troops. Without any hesitation or shyness, an old man grabbed a lump of rice from Liveys bowl and squashed it a ball. He pushed a lump down his thought without any hesitation and started at the gang. "And you undoubtedly grew this rice yourself and did not take it in Gymea, burning down a dozen houses and leaving residents homeless on the eve of the spring rains?" An old man has leaned on his walking stick and glazed straight into the eyes of the most wanted robber of the Shaanxi province. Livay carefully tore his gaze from the old man's watery eyes and looked over his shoulder. The two of his stealth Warriors have jumped out of the bushes. "He killed A Stone head!" shouted one of the robbers, lifting Chao Lin's bloody robe above him. At the same moment, when he spoke those words, an arrow has pierced his throat.

He collapsed to his knees, clutching his neck and moments later, another arrow has struck another robber. Livay has pulled out his sword and shouted down at the man, 'Who are you and What do you want from us?'. An old man has glanced the surrounding and enjoyed the panic which runs through the crowd of robbers. One after another, a soldier we're dropping dead from flying arrows. They have run out like ants in a different direction, the smartest of them dashing to bushes to hide. "You haven't realised it yet? Didn't you?" The old man sighed while He shook his head in shock. "I am your punishment..."

The old man said it in a most convening and calming voice that Livay hasn't doubted his intentions. He dropped everything he had in his hands and dashed down towards the forest. But the arrows were faster. The same arrow that brought down his soldier has struck him right into the shoulder. Livay was shocked but couldn't feel the pain struggling through his body, and he took a few more steps before his legs lost all the power, and he has collapsed on the ground. A man full of indifference have grabbed Levay's bowl and sat on the grass next to this mascara, and ate the rice. One of the old man's soldiers has appeared from the bushes. He was a young man, in leather armour, walking slowly towards an old man. He hanged his bow on his back and stuck the arrows in the leather purse strapped to his belt. 'Master, you have started to dine without me', a young soldier spitted with humour at the old man. And in exchange, an old man has waved his hand and gestured for him to sit next to him. Once the young soldier stepped into the sun, we could clearly see he was just a youngster with a short, trimmed moustache. He had a sharp eye, and his glance was full of focus, which indicated him being an experienced warrior... He was an adult, not a youngster. He was wearing solid leather armour without metal linings, characteristic of wealthy warriors and soft boots. A lone archer's glove adorned his left hand, while the second glove was carelessly tucked into a typesetting belt, consisting of metal plaques with ornaments. His name was Li Zicheng, an excellent warrior and trusted Man of Luo Yang.

Once Li has taken sit next to the old man, he fearless grabbed the rice and started to devote it with no emotions towards the massacre he has created. They have been starving for the past few days, and the resources have finished. In addition, they had not eaten anything for a couple of days: the supplies have come to an end, and all the game in the vicinity was scared away by this robber gang, which, in a picturesque disorder, completely exterminated it across several dozen lis. The old man put down the empty bowl, took a handkerchief from his belt, and carefully wiped his lips and hands. Then he got up, walked slowly to the spring and, filling the empty bowl with water, thoroughly rinsed his mouth. He returned and sat down opposite Li Zicheng, affectionately looking at the young man devouring the dried roe deer meat found in the bag of the gang leader.

"Was I right?" The old man asked the warrior as if continuing the agreement

begun earlier. He looked up for a second, distracting from his pleasant occupation for a moment, and shook his head. "No and no," he said. Luo Yang looked at the young man with interest. "But everything happened exactly as I predicted: they were stunned and puzzled by my sudden appearance. If we followed your tactics and simply attacked from an ambush, then most of them, accustomed to living in a state of constant danger, would quickly sort out the situation and strike back. It wouldn't be good for us...

"You see, Master Luo, all of them," Zicheng shook his head towards the bodies stretched out in the clearing, "we're ready to tear you apart at any moment. The only weak point in their gang was the leader himself. He shouldn't have been chatting with you about life, but just kill you right away, or at least cripple you, and then do the idle talks with you. The only thing that held them was his authority. And they repeated his mistake: they were distracted by you. Although... Three or four managed to escape," the young man laughed. Old Luo smiled as well.

The young warrior returned to his meal while Luo, looking at him, recalled their first meeting... It happened a moon and a half ago, almost on New Year's Eve. Old Tang's roadside tavern was full of customers. There were so many of them that his wife, Mrs Ki, had a hard time putting all the dishes on the tables. It seemed that the stomachs of the guests were bottomless like drunkard's wineskins! And the rain, mixed with snow, which had fallen for the second day in a row, did not allow travelling along the Northern Route, so all travellers, willing or not, ended up in this respected institution. All the king's men were there! Henchmen who went about their business; statesmen executing the orders of their prince or the Emperor himself; peasants going to the North or to the South, but always in search of a better life - all of them were held by the endless rain in the tavern that smelled of smoke from pipes and the aroma of hot stew. Companies formed at different tables according to interests, which was typical for bad days like this one. Someone gossiped about the lackeys of the young Emperor, who robbed the poor blind with their taxes. Others played mahjong, recklessly losing their last money and not really caring about how they would travel further, having lost their money and clothes here, at this table, and relying only on Luck, which they thought would certainly accompany them in the next

game. Others sipped last year's sour wine and buzzing quietly about the last year's famine, which struck the southern provinces of the Celestial Empire and was about to strike the villages of the North. In the past year, there was no yield of wheat and rice, and the Jurchen raids have become increasingly impudent. This was facilitated by the great victory of their Khan Abahai, who invaded Korea with a huge army and forced it into a treaty beneficial to the Jurchens. Korea, however, generally remained loyal to the Celestial Empire and did not break its ancient ties, though it has become more alarming than ever on the northern borders. Hunger raged in the South. There were terrible rumours of mass infanticide and even acts of cannibalism. However, little trust was put into these. After all, South is South. It doesn't matter what they say about it. But the majority believed that it was the fault of the young emperor Chun Zhen, who ascended the throne a year ago and had not yet managed to halt the rampage organised by the court scoundrels.

Be that as it may, everyone agreed on one thing: one could not expect anything good in the near future. This means that, as is customary among poor people, you have to cut costs to the bone once again and hide goods in the mountains, away from greedy officials and grasping robbers. However, no one could say where the border between the first and the latter lied anymore. Luo Yang came in from the rain, brushing drops of cold water from his wide-brimmed straw hat. He could not wait to throw off his soaked raincoat. Old Tang rushed to meet him, habitually groaning about the nasty weather and the permanently bad roads. Luo listened to his lamentations and, catching a pause in the words of the eloquent master, quietly asked: "Is there a room for a lonely wanderer?" "A room? Yes, yes, of course, we've got several beautiful rooms to choose from," the innkeeper muttered as usual, but Luo stopped him with a gesture. "Several?" He asked incredulously, looking around the crowded hall. The innkeeper choked and stared at the old man, looking puzzled and then embarrassed. "Well, to be honest, I only have one, that is, just one mat in a room, and I rented it to that young warrior," the owner waved a towel, which he did not part with, regardless of being at the counter or in the hall, somewhere in the direction of the far corner of the hall. There, a silhouette of a man in leather armour was dimly visible. "Who is he?" Yang made sure that the interest in his voice didn't sound too obvious. The innkeeper shrugged.

"Well, a casual traveller. He says that he served a prince in the province of Gansu, where he fled from the tyranny of dignitaries." "A deserter?" The owner shrugged. "Doesn't look like one. Deserters are nervous, and they drink a lot; they constantly bully someone... I've seen many of them. But this one is calm and confident. He has money. He probably quit his job or is going home on vacation. Well, at least that's how it looks at first glance." Tang was embarrassed by his own self-confidence and began to fussily smile at Yang. The man nodded slowly.

"Bring me some stew and wine at his table. I am thinking of sharing a meal and shelter with him", said the wanderer and moved towards the young warrior's table. The owner rushed to fulfil the order of the honourable guest. There was hardly anyone in the northern provinces of the Celestial Empire who did not know the wandering philosopher Luo Yang! The warrior reacted to the old man's appearance with only a short nod and buried his face again in his cup of wine. Yang sat down on a bench that had been wiped down to the shine of ivory by the underpants of many guests and also nodded slowly to the warrior. The innkeeper brought a plate of steaming stew and a jug of wine. Luo slowly took the first sip straight from the jug without waiting for the cup to be placed in front of him. Burping contentedly, he proceeded to his stew. The warrior watched him mockingly. Yang pretended not to notice. When he emptied the bowl and wiped it thoroughly with his bread, putting the rest of the contents into his mouth, the warrior dared to ask the first question: "There are free seats in the hall. Why did you honour me with your attention?" Luo chuckled.

"Because of all those sitting in the hall, only you have what I desperately need." The warrior raised his eyebrows in surprise, which Yang liked – the guy was in no hurry with questions and was correct, as if he had received a court education. "Then maybe you could share with me what is this "valuable thing" that I have but don't know about? "The mat in your room that no one has occupied yet," Luo explained calmly. The young man chuckled. "What if I say no?" "You won't," Yang answered confidently and explained to the warrior's surprised look: "You need a calm neighbour today, and tomorrow you will need a reliable and wise companion and mentor at the same time. So why wait for another gift of fate?" "As far as I understand, you are the gift, old man?" "Exactly, young Man. Luo

Yang, at your service..."

The warrior jumped up and bowed low: "Excuse me, sir! I have been on long hikes and have lost the last traces of courtesy while having to deal with the wild mountaineers!" Yang chuckled, stood up and put his hand on the warrior's shoulder, forcing him to sit back. "During my travels, I have met few interlocutors more courteous than you, someone who allegedly lost his courtesy", he laughed. The warrior forced himself to smile in response. The wise man sat down and continued: "Now that you know who I am let's figure out who you are... You served in the prince's army?" "Yes, sir." "Gansu province?" "Yes, sir." "And your name is..."

"Li Zicheng, sir..." "Stop calling me sir. To you, I'm just a Master Luo. Got it?" "Yes, sir... Master Luo... It will be an honour for me to share the shelter with you, just like I had shared my meal before!" Noticing that Li Zicheng was ready to bow down again, Luo Yang placed his hand in his palm, pressing it against the darkened tabletop. "I don't think we should attract too much attention now.

Too many different, sometimes even contradictory fellows have gathered on this patch of the great Empire. You can expect an explosion at any moment ... Yes, yes, my young friend... The weather is not going to change, the winter roads will remain imable forever, and I suggest we have a good rest in our room today, sleep well, and continue our journey tomorrow. After all, you are heading…" "North," Zicheng said quickly, sitting down on a bench, "to a small village in Shaanxi province. It's time to visit my nephew and help him with the housework. It's sowing time soon; someone needs to plough the land. After all, we are not a military settlement, and we have to not only cultivate someone else's land for a quitrent but also pay taxes. I used to tend sheep and plough the land, but my father could not his family, so I had to get a job at the post office. Travelling across the vastness of the Celestial Empire, I managed to see a lot and change my mind. I was recruited into the army of a Gansu lord." Yang shook his head.

"A short but worthy journey, young Man... When are you going to return to the service?" Li sighed heavily and thought... "I don't know," he itted honestly. "I haven't thought about it yet. I'd rather get home first, and then..." "Then, I propose a solution that will undoubtedly suit both of us." "I am listening, sir..." "Not again!" "Excuse me, my... Excuse me, Master Luo. What is your solution?" "We will go to the North together," Luo Yang nodded, full of himself.

Li Zicheng jumped up in enthusiasm: "It'll be an honour!" Yang got outright angry. "Did I say something wrong, or were you not listening? Sit down, to begin with", and, after waiting for the young man to take his place, he continued. "I'm not doing you a favour, it's just that our paths coincide for a while, and we can be useful to each other. My wisdom and age, combined with your military talents, will be the key to the successful completion of our journey. It is from this point of view that I see our cooperation. Is that clear?" "Yes, Master Luo." "Great!" The wise man rubbed his hands.

"Hey, innkeeper, bring me and my friend more of your wonderful wine! The travellers are tired of the journey and want to get their throats wet... You want to get your throat wet, don't you?" He leaned over to Li. The young man chuckled. "Even during your long life, It is unlikely that you, Master Luo, have met many people who would refuse wine at someone else's expense." The old man chuckled.

"Actually, I thought that it was you who would pay... But if things are heading this way... I'm ready. Then you will pay for the room." The warrior laughed: "Deal. But your wisdom has failed you this time. Or you're cunning. Or your power of prediction." "In what?" The old man squinted. Zicheng threw up his hands. "There is a fixed fee for the rent, but I can drink indefinitely," the young man explained his thought. The elder shook his head. "You will not take more liquids than the volume of your stomach, and knowing old Tang, I can assure you that you will need even less wine - it will knock you off your feet. Plus, you

don't sound like a drunkard. So we are quits," he threw up his hands.

Meanwhile, the owner brought more jugs, so there was no time for empty talks anymore. It was on the third day when they finally managed to set off on the road. The disgusting weather was partly to blame for this. It rained and snowed all the time. The mud that was freezing overnight was turning into an impenetrable mess in the morning, making not only the wheels of the carts but also the hooves of horses stuck, not to mention the travellers, who were mostly barefoot.

There were, however, a few daredevils who decided to continue their journey in these disgusting conditions, but almost all of them returned back after half a day, and those who did not return probably perished in this half-snow-half-rain. On the third day, the sky became clearer; the sun came out and managed to dry the road slightly. The roadside got covered with ice, which was much nicer than having to travel the muddy roads. Li Zicheng walked fast but had a hard time trying to keep pace with his elderly companion. To his surprise, Luo Yang was almost as good as him in stamina and speed, thanks to many years of hiking and amazing health, which the old man retained thanks to a healthy lifestyle and regular tai chi exercises, which he repeated with amazing persistence every morning, as soon as the sun rose above the horizon. Throughout the first moon, they walked slowly, stopping at rare inns or installing a shed in the open field that the prudent Luo Yang always carried with him. The provisions they bought in small villages were usually enough for long journeys, and when it ran out, Li Zincheng took out his magic bow and went hunting. While the old man was cooking rice or millet, the warrior already returned with a pheasant or guinea fowl, a rabbit or a black grouse, which he immediately baked in clay or roasted on a spit. In general, the travellers did not starve, and if we also take into the fact that their daily afternoon or evening dialogues often developed into philosophical disputes, the journey could even be called a walk of two bosom friends. Everything changed as soon as they crossed the border of Shaanxi province...

It looked like the same old hills and small woods, rivers and lakes, but a kind of wary silence hung over everything. At first, Li Zicheng convinced himself that it was just his excitement before seeing a home he had not seen for several years... How would his family react to his appearance? After all, last time, he practically escaped… But gradually, as they were ing several villages and found only boarded up doors of inns and taverns, they understood it was serious. Lonely ers-by, barely seeing the two travellers, one of whom had a changdao thrown over a sipu and a large bow gleaming with a dull metallic sheen in his hands, immediately rushed to get out of their way. Master Luo tried a couple of times to knock on other people's fanzas, but the answer was only silence: if the owners were inside, they always tried to carefully hide this fact, as well as the fact of their existence in general. The reason for this became clear only on the second day of travel through the province, when the travellers, entering a small village, stumbled upon a woman sobbing, stained with blood, sitting on the porch of a burnt house. She madly looked at two strangers emerging from the forest. The woman was hugged by a girl of five or six years old, wrapped in some incredibly dirty piece of cloth.

A huge shaggy dog sprawled at their feet. It threw out its hot tongue and looked at the newcomers with a calm look, which, however, could not deceive sophisticated travellers: the dog was mortally dangerous and just as devoted to its owner. Luo Yang stopped at a respectful distance and slowed down Li Zicheng with a movement of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he quietly called out to the woman: "Honorable mistress, will I be allowed to know what happened in your village? Where is everyone?" At the sound of his voice, a moment of understanding flashed in the eyes of the woman. However, it was instantly replaced by the former madness. The dog twitched its ears, listening. Letting go of her mother's neck for a moment, the child rustled in a thin voice:

"People, many people... They came and killed my friends, their dads and mothers... Then they burned everything here... My mother and I sat in the cellar and heard them screaming... They were screaming... Then everything burned... And it started to rain. The rain put out the fire, so we got out of the pit... And then Thunder came running from the forest... It was probably hiding from those with spears..." "Spears?" Li Zicheng asked incredulously. The girl nodded. "Yes,

long bamboo spears with dark tips..." "Black iron," Luo Yang muttered. "This is not an imperial army." "And not the princely squads - those have excellent equipment, no worse than the regular army," Li added thoughtfully. "Robbers? But since when do they rob common people?" The old man, meanwhile, leaned towards the girl who let him in.

"When was the last time you ate?" The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't , sir..." "When did the bad people come?" Master Luo continued. The girl pondered, wrinkling her forehead. Then she lifted three fingers. "Three days ago?" Luo Yang tried to guess. The girl nodded. The old man turned to the warrior: "Give them our supplies. We can survive with our rice... They need it more." Li nodded in understanding and pulled the bag off his shoulder...

Capital. Forbidden City. Lake Palace.

The Son of Heaven and the Autocrat of All Under Heaven, Huangdi Zhu Youjian, was in a disgusting mood. Vile weather and incessant cold rain did not contribute to the mental balance of the Great Emperor of the Celestial Empire. Somewhere out there, outside of his island Palace, the Capital was noisy, and the life of a big city was in full swing, but here, in the Palace, his jinshi Deming Liang filled the ruler of the Celestial Empire in on the horrific details of the famine in the Shaanxi province. According to him, the things were really bad, much worse than what Ji Chao, the eternal know-it-all, the head of the eunuchs, whispered about. "In Yan'an county, there was practically no rain during the year, and the ground dried up to a state of the stone. Last fall, people ate wormwood in the cities, and towards the end, they began to eat the bark from the trees. By the end of the year, when all the bark had already been peeled off, people began to eat chalk. A few days after that, their bellies swelled, people fell, and they were doomed to death... In all the districts outside the city, huge holes were dug where the city authorities buried several hundred people. In general, hunger is very strong in the north of Qingyang and Yan'an." Liang finished reading, carefully folded the scroll, put it in a buffalo tube and stared at the Emperor with devotion. Zhu Youjian listened to the official with an impenetrable

face, for the Son of Heaven could not express his feelings in front of mere mortals. But deep in his soul, fear began to arise. He could not help but understand what would follow: turmoil, peasant riots, robbery on state roads or unrest in large cities. To worsen things, right there in the North, the Jurchens are waiting for an excuse to cross the border and besiege Beijing. And it is still unclear how the army will behave in such a situation... Generals are also people, and although they don't really care how many peasants will die out in this or that district, none of them will miss an opportunity to take over the reins of the sovereign's chariot. Of course, there are troops loyal to the "dragon throne" – there have to be some, but you never know... For almost a century, there have been continuous revolts here and there, and the army never has enough time to extinguish these centres of popular discontent. And, most importantly, no one can offer specific advice on what to do and how to deal with hunger. Even the great wise men have not yet learned how to deal with drought! Monks pray day and night in their temples, but it does not help much... "So the things are that bad," Zhu Youjian said in a cold voice. The official bowed even lower. The emperor sighed. He should have invited some of the highest dignitaries, find out what measures they were ready to take, but how could he discuss his decisions with these jinshis? With a slight nod, the Emperor dismissed the Liang, who left the reception hall backing away and constantly bowing. Zhu Youjian frowned. Now alone with himself, he could give in to anger. From the outside, this was expressed by the fact that he brought his eyebrows together. Being an intelligent man, the Emperor understood that a vicious atmosphere of lies and general distrust surrounded him in the Palace. More than one worthy person has cautiously hinted that power in the Celestial Empire was gradually flowing from the sovereign to his eunuchs, who constituted a great political force. From the "night guards" and the rulers of the secret city, these blameless creatures gradually took the role of "ear" advisers to almost every government official and even tried to influence the decisions of the Emperor himself, although so far they hardly succeeded. Now, alone with himself, the Emperor could it that things in the country were getting worse and worse. A year ago, this damned drought in the South drove people to the point of devouring their own kind. There are no funds in the treasury to fight this force majeure since the damned ships of the Portuguese practically nullified the sea trade of the Celestial Empire, and in this situation, internal reserves would not last long. Riots in the country have become a common thing, the only redeeming thing being that the peasants will never find a single leader who could unite all the dissatisfied under his banner. On the one hand, this is excellent, as it will not be difficult for regular units to break up these disted forces. On the other hand, you could at least negotiate with the

leader, discuss something, play for time, and then either the change in weather would help, or the "leader" would sell himself to the authorities in the most usual way and slay yesterday's associates with the same enthusiasm. This has happened many times before, so why wouldn't it repeat in modern history? Zhu Youjian chuckled with the corners of his lips. He wouldn't allow himself more than that, even when he was alone. But then he checked himself. Something is clearly going wrong today. This Deming Liang showed only the very top of the tree, but its roots remained invisible, even in such a detailed report. The bottom line is hundreds of villages were dying of hunger, millions of disgruntled peasants eking out a terrible existence, hundreds or even thousands of robbers blocking postal and trade routes, killing not only merchants and their servicemen but also senior government officials. Among the robbers, there are a lot of people with experience in military service, and although the peasants are mostly disorganised and not prepared for a war with the imperial army, nothing prevents them from doing this seriously in the very near future. The Emperor took a golden bell from the table near the throne and waved it once. Before the ringing of the bell had time to dissolve under the arches of the reception hall, the "nightingale floors" sang softly, almost inaudibly in the hallway. It was Ji Chao, the devoted dog and chief eunuch of the Emperor, who is hurrying up to attend the call. When his corpulent silhouette appeared on the doorstep, Huangdi had already put on a mask of "sovereign concern" and was ready to talk. Ji Chao habitually dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against the floor. The Emperor chuckled. "Easy, Chao. This way, you will either split your forehead or damage the floor... Both are dear to me... for now..." "I'm all attention, my lord." Chao still did not look up from the floor. Chung Zhen chuckled. For a long time, he had no illusions about the obedience of the chief eunuch, but there was nothing that could be done – one has to live with what one has... "Tell me, my dear, putting away all these grimaces of increased love and respect: is it that bad in the provinces?" "Which ones, my Emperor?" said the chief eunuch, slipping away from the topic of hunger, but the Emperor did not give him the freedom to manoeuvre. "For example, in Shaanxi..." "Should I tell the truth, my Lord?" "Does a servant have the right to lie to his Emperor?" The Lord of the Celestial Empire answered with a question. The eunuch sighed, still not lifting his face from the floor. "This province is like a wineskin full of gunpowder, with unreasonable boys trying to make a fire under it." The emperor was alert. "Who do you mean? I mean, what boys..." The eunuch got frightened to death: the young Emperor was only seventeen! The eunuch knew that he already said too much and had to correct the awkward situation. "Your Imperial Majesty, mighty Huangdi, you perfectly understand that all uprisings begin in the provinces, but

the fuse is set on fire in the capital..." "Well, go on..." "In my humble understanding, the Jurchen leaders are behind all this, my Lord. They have already approached the walls of the Forbidden City and entered Korea. What prevents them from setting a camp near the Capital once again? Or even take charge of the rebel troops?" "The capital is impregnable," the Emperor objected, without being too confident. The eunuch grinned at the floor. "The gates that a great army cannot break open can be easily opened by a donkey laden with gold. Do you think that all people surrounding you have no interest, my Emperor?" "I have never made wrong choices about my entourage," the Emperor said brusquely. "Do you have something reasonable to offer, or you will get off with quotations from the treatises of wise men again?" Ji Chao finally lifted his face from the floor and looked into the Emperor's eyes. "Yes, my Lord and Emperor. Otherwise, what else is an old eunuch needed for if not to give good advice on time?" Yujiao nodded brusquely and turned to the window. Somewhere in the North of Shaanxi Province.

...Livay He's gang turned out to be the first gang of robbers on the path of Zicheng and old Luo. The travellers quickly found it, following the smell of fire and delicious cooking, and it turned out that it was not difficult for Li to neutralise the bandits. And now, having eaten around the campfire of the robbers, the travellers had to decide what to do next. To begin with, Zicheng dug a large hole with a Dao sword found in the bale of one of the robbers and dumped the bodies. "So that wild animals do not tear them to pieces," he explained to his companion, somehow embarrassed. Luo Yang nodded in approval. Slightly bewildered, he asked: "Do you feel pity for them?" Li shrugged. "Hardly... It is a pity that it was I who killed them." "This is not quite typical of a warrior. A warrior would have been proud of such an impressive victory." "I am a peasant who became a warrior by the will of fate. If I have the choice, I try not to shed too much blood. And they are also not to blame for the fact that I got in their way. Everyone has their own path. Our paths crossed here by chance." "A nobleman blames himself, a small man blames others," Luo muttered. Zicheng looked at him with interest. "Is that yours?" "It's a Confucius. I am not a source of wisdom, I only bring someone else's wisdom to the ears of those who have a desire to learn about it." Li nodded in understanding, put aside the robber's sword, and looked around. "Looks like that's it. We can go." "Well, then point the direction." Zicheng waved his hand north towards the distant

mountains. "There, a couple of days away is the village where I was born. Be my guest, wise Man." "Thank you, valiant Li, that will be an honour for me. Shall we go?" "Yes. I'd like to leave this place as soon as possible," Li Zicheng nodded and grabbed his travel bag from the ground. The old man picked up his staff, and the travellers headed north to the distant village of Michzhi that the young warrior talked about all the time to the wandering philosopher. They didn't make it. Later, Luo Yang reproached himself more than once for making long stops, allowing himself and his companion to relax, iring the picturesque views for a long time. But deep inside, the old man understood that they still could not have prevented the tragedy, the consequences of which they had witnessed. When the last ascent was overcome, a view of the Michzhi valley and the village opened in front of them. The young warrior wanted to say something sublime, something appropriate for the moment, but the words froze in his throat... The old man also froze at the top of the hill. What they saw in the valley was truly terrible! There was no village. That is, it was absolutely gone… Here and there, they saw scattered fragments of pitchforks and spears, jagged sickles, and arrowheads in the posts that had remained in the place of the fences. They could find whole arrows with white plumage in the grass, with excellent hardened tips. Li Zicheng, who had not said a single word during the entire time that they had been examining the ashes, dropped a short word - "army", and continued searching. Luo stood aside and tried to understand what was that unusual sweetish smell over the ashes, a smell so unpleasant and annoying. Tired of waiting for his young companion to finish his examination, he called him with a nod. "What do you think happened here? And where have all the villagers gone?" He looked up at Li and staggered back: there were so much pain and despair in him. The warrior closed his eyelids slightly and said hoarsely: "They all died..." "But where are the bodies then?" Zicheng shook his head to the side, and only then the old man saw something similar to the ashes of a huge fire, with a faint smoke still rising ...Then the old man understood what that sweetish aroma over the village: it was the smell of burnt human flesh was... Li fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands... Old Luo Yang slowly walked up to him and sank down beside him... He put his hand on his shoulder, covered with rough leather armour. "Cry, warrior, weep, for your soul being purified, and your tears washing away their sins," the wise man shook his head towards the funeral pyre. Li looked up at the old man, his eyes dry and full of hidden pain. "I have long ceased to cry, wise Man. Even as a child when my mother was taken by the almighty Heaven. Or in my youth, when Heaven called my father. Can you explain to me why everyone was killed? They did not harm anyone! And they were attacked not by robbers, but by a detachment of the regular army!" "I don't

know yet," Luo said dully.

He scanned the ashes once more. "And I don't even have any thoughts about this. But once you are able to assess the situation soberly, we will talk about everything. And we will take the only correct decision." Li Zicheng's eyes suddenly froze. "I'll take revenge," he muttered dully.

The philosopher shrugged his shoulders. "It's your right and your choice. Just that the one who is going to take revenge must dig two graves first..." "Why two?" "For your enemy and for yourself. Because everything that you do in this world comes back to you sooner or later." Luo rose from his knees and slowly walked away from the burned village. "Where are you going?" Li called him over his shoulder, without turning around. Yang stopped and said in a deliberately calm voice: "It's time to think about an overnight stay. Trust me, friend, the dead are not the best neighbours for this. Or am I wrong?" Nodding his head to some of his own thoughts, he walked towards the road. Li Zicheng gazed after him for a while, silent, then got up, grabbing a handful of earth mixed with ash in his glove, pulled out a piece of canvas from his bosom and wrapped the earth in it. He put the bag behind the lapel of his robe and looked once again around the burned village with a cold glance. His distracted attention was suddenly riveted by a hawk flying over the road. The bird of prey gave a shrill, sharp cry and rushed into the sky with lightning speed. Li Zicheng watched the predator carefully. What he saw instilled a vague premonition in the young man's heart: now his life will be somewhat similar to the life of a hawk, filled with the same tiresome stalking of prey.

Chapter 2

The messenger arrived early in the morning, and by lunchtime, the camp of the rebellion fleet looked like a disturbed hive.

A diverse rebel army was preparing for its first battle. Ragged, starved and exhausted by long walks and anxious, sleepless nights, they were still preparing to fight. Li came out of the tent of Liu Hei, the Chief of this army, with an ambiguous feeling. Li was torn between anger and empathy. He couldn't bear the thought of the savageness of his enemy, but he felt a warriors sadness, knowing that most of his troops wouldn't survive the next battle. Only a person who was ignorant of military affairs could be intimidated by this horde. And how can several dozen hastily armed and barely trained common man and herders could even be called an army? Li shook his head and went to his fire to convey the words of the rebel leader to his companion and teacher Luo Yang. Old Luo was dozing, sitting in a meditative pose in front of almost extinguished fire embers. It seemed that the general turmoil was ing unnoticed by his consciousness.

As soon as Zicheng approached the fire, the old man opened his eyes and waved a welcoming gesture to Li. Li placed himself on the mat that was replacing both a tent and a bed for him in recent days.

They came to Liu Hei's detachment ten days ago, after almost a month of wandering through the nearby deserted villages in search of someone who could bring light on what happened in Mizhi. However, all the villages they visited along the way were either empty or turned into the same ashes. At the same time, Luo noted that not only citizens have been missing. Livestock, food, personal belongings were scattered around the area. It was a ghost town after a

ghost town. Old Luo stood on the outskirts of one of these villages, indulged in some kind of meditation known only to him. Zicheng, accustomed to such moments with their mentor, waited patiently for the old man to get back to him. Finally, Luo opened his eyes and said: "It was bad timing on our behalf. I wouldn't mind being somewhere on the opposite borders of the Celestial Empire." "Why is that?" Li asked. The old man chuckled. "Can't you see for yourself?" "I can only see deserted village." Luo sighed. "We need to harry up."

Zicheng was filled with anger. An empty village was no better than a village that had just been burned down: the smell of fear hung over everything, an elusive veil of hopelessness and imminent death. He grabbed his sword, but the old man held his hand. "There's no one nearby," he grunted soothingly. "Only death and emptiness. We must search for survivors," the old man suddenly uttered. Li shook himself, throwing off the obsession with his last words and looked up at Luo Yang.

He continued to stroke his long moustache, thinking and finally, he said: "Let's follow the footsteps of those who left the village. I think it will not be difficult for you: your army is chasing after cattle; they should be chasing after their people."

Li nodded. Indeed, he noticed the footsteps of the villagers immediately, as soon as he saw that the village was empty, and proceeded to inspect the area. Those tracks led to the spurs of the nearest mountains. "What else do you think all this smells like, except death and desolation?" He muttered gloomily.

They came across the front pickets of the rebels the very next day. The sun was going down, and Li was already looking for a place to sleep when two men armed with pikes came out onto the trail. It took less than a second for Li to realise that he was not a trained man.

"Who are you?" One of the armed men cried out with a guttural voice. It was a tall, middle-aged man in shabby, patched-up clothes. He pointed his spike right at the old man. However, he hasn't received any reaction from Luo.

"We are peaceful travellers, good man," Luo's voice was filled with humility and obedience. Zicheng followed the example of his mentor and bowed to the second stranger, a young man of no more than seventeen, from whose eys you sense fear.

The older man broke the silence and said : "Follow me." Li shrugged his shoulders, exchanged glances with the old man, and stepped off the path. The young man followed, nearly touching Luo Yang's back with his long spear.

After a while, tired of the painful silence, the old man asked:

"And who would you be? What do you want from peaceful travellers?" "How will you prove, strangers, that you are exactly what you seem to be?" "Why do we need to prove you anything ?" Zicheng chuckled. The man walking in front stopped abruptly and directed his pike exactly towards Li's heart.

In less than a second, Li grabbed the spike with his left hand and pulled men towards himself, landing a punch right to his jaw with his right hand.

Before the man had time to fall to the ground, his pike was in the hands of Zicheng, and its sting was looking in his direction. He froze, having fallen to the ground, staring at the tip of his weapon pointing right at his eye. Meanwhile, Luo turned to face the young man at the rear and calmly took the peak from his fear-bound hands. "That's better," the wise man smiled as if apologising and patted the numb guy on the shoulder. Li put his pike aside and reached out his right hand to help him stand up. The man glared at him: "I don't need pity from you! If you have taken me down, finish me!' "I don't like to kill for no reason," Zicheng snapped, "We are not here to fight you. We are all on the same side. Take me to your commander warrior," The peasant kneeled and shook his head in disbelief.

"This is not the time and place to drop down on your knees," he muttered, somewhat embarrassed by an unexpected situation, as he turned from a prisoner into a celestial with a blink of an eye. "You'd better get us to your leader as soon as possible. We want to talk to him.

"Yes, of course," the men rushed up and, nodding to his young partner and picking up the spear, headed into the forest, constantly looking back at the unusual companions. The young guard had already forgotten about his duties and walked alongside the famous wise man, bombarding him with a heap of questions like "how long have you been travelling?", or "which province did you like the most?'.

The older warrior, whose name was Tang, led them to the tent of the rebel leader Liu Hei, former tax collector-turned-Chief, who enjoyed the undoubted popularity among his associates. This could be seen even by the extremely respectful tone in which young Liang, the second guard from the lane, spoke about their leader. According to the rebels, Liu Hei collected taxes for a long time, being in the retinue of Xuan Ming, the head of Xian in Shaanxi province.

At the same time, Liu never went too far in dealing with ordinary people, and he was a strict but fair human being.

But over the years, collecting taxes has become increasingly difficult. The rulers demanded more and more, while time after time, nature threw new challenges o to the common man. Over time, when collecting tax became merely impossible, Xuan Ming was forced to resort to the help of the troops since several times his tax collectors were driven out of the villages by locals and even beaten up with sticks a couple of times. Liu Hei found himself in an ambiguous position when he had to choose whether to continue serving faithfully to his master, the Emperor's henchman or to give up everything and go on the run.

Raised in a military settlement, Hei was the fifth son of his father, and therefore he was not drafted into the army. He was ready to be faithful to his vassal oath, but one day the village where he arrived with a small detachment made up of governor's warriors was burnt down after one of the guards was hit by a

stone thrown by a child.

Liu Hei witnessed the unarmed man being beaten, houses burned, woman raped, and children enslaved. Those who remained alive were tied up and driven into slavery, and the corpses of the rest were ordered by the commander to be burned along with the entire village.

Mindful of who would be the next victim of the imperial soldiers, Liu went to the nearest village and rose. He spoke to common men and begged them to leave. He told the truth of what will they face. He did not lack inspiration. The cries of the beaten people and the flames of burning houses were still fresh in his memory. People believed him, as this was said by Liu Hei. He had a spiritual aura around him, which made people follow him and listen to him. Even Li, has noticed it.

Having a great knowledge of military operations - Liu Hei began to gather his army from former herders and ploughmen, blacksmiths and potters. He took them to the training yard, forcing them to learn to resist the princely squads, trying to introduce the tactics of ambush war, knowing well that in an open field, his "army" would be nothing more than prey.

They might not be the best soldiers, but they were warriors. They were fighting for their lives, for their future. And freedom was their reward. Walking past dozens of tents and huts, where motley-dressed people were sitting around fires, cooking dinner, the travellers found themselves in front of a larger tent. Tang signalled to wait and disappeared inside. Li glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at them. He was not offended: his armour was supposed to have an irritating effect on the inhabitants of the camp. The guards were not treated very well here. At that moment, the curtain fell back, and Tang invited them inside. Li bent down and

entered the low age, habitually closing his eyes so as not to become blind from the bright outer light. Liu Hei greeted the guests. A pair of oil lamps burned on the sides. Even in the wild forest, the former tax collector could not give up his secular habits: ordinary men did not use interior lighting, as lamp oil was an unaffordable luxury. At the sight of those who entered, the Chief of the rebels rose and bowed, casting a tenacious glance at the intruders. He pointed to the opposite seats while agile Liang hastily put bowls of rice and cups of rice wine in front of them. Li took a second to get accustomed to their surroundings. Liu himself wore a faded robe, his hair militarily tied in a tight knot. He looked like a man in his thirties. Old Luo Yang didn't seem to pay attention to anything until silent Liu Hei said: "I'm glad that fate has brought famous Luo Yang to my home."

"That's because we are now waling on the same paths," the old master smiled thinly. Liu also smiled. "Yet we are here, and I have a lot of questions for you if you don't mind..." "There is only one, and the main question: will I have so many answers? After all, I myself travel in search of the truth." Liu nodded. "We came across many burned-down villages along the way. Death is in the valleys, Chief. How are you going to fight it? With these several dozen unfortunates?" Liu Hei frowned, then a clear sadness appeared on his face. "I don't know, wise man. I think about it every day and night. These people entrusted their destinies to me, and we don't care what happens to us; we only live for our children. Today our task is to save them. We'll think about the rest tomorrow if the sun rises."

"That's reasonable," Luo Yang muttered, overwhelmed by the inner strength that sounded in this simple phrase. "What choice did they have?" The Chief of the rebels finished his thought, nodding towards the tent exit. Yang nodded. "Of course, they had none. But you had. What prompted a former successful tax collector, a respected person, to leave a sedate existence and run through the forests?" Liu Hei paused, rubbing his clean-shaven chin, stroking his thin moustache. Then he said in a simple tone: "Probably, otherwise, my conscience would not allow me to live." The old man nodded gravely. "You will be given a tent; rest now. Tomorrow we will continue." "Thank you, Master Liu, that's what we'll do," Li Zicheng stood up. Luo Yang followed him. The owner of the tent jumped to his feet with the obvious intention of accompanying them, but the wise man stopped him with a gesture. "It is unworthy of a Chief to engage in the life of lonely travellers. Let young Liang accompany us. We became friends on the way." "So be it," Liu Hei agreed and invited Liang, who happily accompanied the guests to their tent.

The next morning, they met again in the Chief's tent.

"Heaven sent you to me," the owner of the tent began with the traditional form of polite address. "In my case, this is not that much of an exaggeration. Yesterday you had a chance to note the tragedy of the situation. People entrusted

their lives to me, I am responsible for them, but I am afraid they are not ready. I need your guidance?"

Leaving his empty cup aside, Luo Yang started smoking his pipe made from juniper wood. The smoke rose in circles, playing in the streaks of sunlight, penetrating through the holes in the tent canvas. It was impossible to see what exactly the old man was thinking about. Li, nor Liu dared to interfere with the thoughts of an old man. Zicheng took a deep breath and said:

"At other times, I would say what you already know yourself very well: your "army" is doomed to defeat. But, in addition to simple arithmetic, which takes into large numbers, equality and inequality, there is also fate and the talent of a commander... And luck... of course, if you believe in one." "I do believe," Liu replied with a grin. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." "Then everything gets easier. You will not be able to withstand an open battle against the imperial army. But you can deliver short, pinpoint strikes to individual units, merely the same as governor sends people like you to collect taxes from the weakest villages. Catching a squad on a narrow path and destroying it will not be that difficult. Besides, there are mainly soldiers who are on foot, which means that the cavalry will not chase you. The governor will not notice the loss of one or even several units immediately. Commanders tend to ignore the weakest detachments. It will take some time, a very considerable one if we are lucky, before the news of the incomprehensible disappearances reaches him, before someone starts moving, comparing the facts, wanting to know where exactly a particular detachment disappeared. This time will be sufficient for you to strengthen your squad as much as possible by distributing captured weapons to your men, training them to the best of your knowledge and their abilities. With that, you will be able to withstand greater forces, especially if you are mobile.

You will not constantly stay in one place but will force the enemy to chase you. You will be able to divert the attention of the dignitaries from the squad, give them a break, the opportunity to plant and grow crops in good weather. And by then, everything might settle down by itself. However, in that other life, there will no longer be a place for you and your soldiers because they stood against the Emperor all the same." Liu Hei shook his head. "Spend the rest of our lives on the run?" "Not necessarily," the old man interfered in the conversation. "Our Emperor is still very young - he barely turned seventeen. So far, he lives not by his mind but by the slander of the courtiers. He doesn't care about any particular province until it becomes a threat to his power like the Jurchens. "I will help you, leader, prepare your fighters for open battle. Just promise me that you will avoid it until I tell you. You carry the Blood Debt to your soldiers, and to fulfil it, you have to go through a very difficult path. But I'll be there, I promise." "Thank you!" Liu Hei jumped up and firmly shook hands with the wise man and the warrior. "When will we start training?" "Right after breakfast," Luo Yang interjected grumpily. "Breakfast is sacred for both sages and warriors." He winked at Liu Hei, got up and walked out of the tent, followed by two cheerful looks.

From that day on, from dawn to evening, Li Zicheng drove Liu Hei's army to a sweat. He forced soldiers to move granite blocks, crush the smooth river pebbles with their fingers to strengthen their grip. He showed the techniques of sword handling, using wooden sticks in the absence of such. And gradually, the former "mean" people began to feel like real fighters, at least on their own level. It was until the first real fight with the professional military. Li Zicheng and Liu Hei

perfectly understood that, so they trained the troops with might and main for their own benefit. Three-quarters of the moon ed when a messenger rushed into the camp with the news. Nearby scouts noticed a small detachment of the district governor. Liu Hei ordered to immediately prepare for the offensive...

The sun climbed to the zenith when foreman Chao Ding, known among the soldiers of the Mingzhou garrison as "Boar", led his fifteen soldiers to this village. The detachment stopped at the edge of the forest. For some reason, its commander decided to look around before setting foot on the only street of the village.

Over the last moon, his squad saw empty houses, ruined barns and the complete absence of the local population. In the end, he wasn't concerned whether the governor received his taxes or not. Yuji Jiangjun was responsible for it, so it was none of his business. They arrived, robbed, delivered taxes and reported. They also reported if they didn't deliver. The situation in the district was incomprehensible, and the first rule of a military leader was: beware if you don't understand the situation. However, either the midday sun was melting the foreman's brains, or the general blissful picture in the valley relaxed him. He missed the moment when the last year's dry grass, which had not yet had time to give place to the young greenery, suddenly flared in a strip for several lis, cutting off the way towards the village, and threatened to block the road to the South, along which they came to the valley. Chao Ding looked around with a feverish glare. His warriors crowded behind him and eagerly awaited the order of their commander.

"Damn! To the hell with this village! It's time to get out of here!" The gallant foreman decided, but, as it turned out, someone had different plans. A red-hot arrow flew out from behind the acrid grey smoke of burning grass and pierced the throat of one of the fighters. He wheezed, grabbing it with both hands,

releasing the sword from his hands, and began to fall on his side. No sooner had the Boar realised the danger of the situation than a the second arrow of the same kind knocked down the second warrior, breaking through the armour and getting stuck under his left shoulder blade. The Boar whirled around and, drawing out his Dao sword, yelled with all the might of his throat polished with cheap beer: "Cover-up..." The remnants of a dozen rallied around their commander, but the soldiers did not see anything because of the veil of smoke. Their eyes were watering, many began to cough, but the small detachment still began to move towards the exit from the valley. Chao Din was already beginning to think that they would be able to escape under cover of a smoke veil created by unknown enemies, but at the moment when the saving edge of the forest was already close, men armed with peaks fell out of the nearby bushes and rushed to the remnants of the squad.

They used round shields made of willow and covered with leather. These homemade protective devices could only stop the first blow of a spear or sword, while the second one destroyed them completely. However, there was no need for a special firmness: the unknown repulsed the first blows and were already close to the soldiers. The shields flew to the side. The spears of Boar's warriors were useless, as several precious seconds were irretrievably lost. The homemade spears of the attackers pierced the leather armour easily. The governor's soldiers fell one by one, choking on blood, for the enemies did not know mercy: they cut the throats of those who were slightly wounded. In less than a couple of minutes, the Boar was left alone with a dozen spears aimed at his chest. The attackers looked at him with undisguised fury from under the wide-brimmed hats. The Boar sighed hoarsely and released the blade, falling on the roadside boulder with a melancholic clang. He knelt and folded his hands behind his head, indicating that he was giving up. He made no illusions about his future fate. Those whose families he had so persistently and diligently harassed finally got him. He couldn't hope for mercy...

The attackers made an opening in the ring they had formed, and a tall warrior, clean-shaven, wearing good armour, approached Chao Ding. "It's the leader," the Boar realised. Suddenly he recognised him. Somewhere in the depths of his soul, the thought of possible salvation arose. "I know you. You are Liu Hei, the tax collector from Xianyang! Don't you recognise me, your old friend Chao?" The Boar tried to jump up, but immediately felt a spear butt between his shoulder blades and fell to his knees again. Liu Hei looked at the foreman with unspeakable contempt. Yes, he recognized him. He saw him more than once in the eateries of Xianyang, the largest city in the province. He even ed how they called him the Boar behind his back... But this man did not cause any emotions in him. He called out to Master Luo:

"Tell me, sage, what does this man deserve?" "Anyone deserves to live," Luo Yang replied sadly as he walked up. A spark of hope lit up in the Boar's soul. Liu Hei stared at the old man in surprise. "He'll go away like that?" "The dead are useless, and he can be of use," the sage said, perplexing everyone. The Boar and Liu stared at him with the same confusion. The old man sighed. "Cut off both of his hands. If fate deems him worthy, he will have time to reach people before the sun rises, and they will help him. If he doesn't have time, the dry belt will split his skull like a blacksmith's hammer splits a nutshell. That would mean he had no chance... The Boar howled in impotent rage as a man in the armour of a princely warrior was approaching him with a naked changdao in his hand.

"What use of him did you talk about, old man, when you persuaded me to let this bastard go?" Liu Hei inquired when the Boar disappeared into the forest thicket, howling in pain, both arms cut up to the shoulders, with wounds seared by fire and a rawhide belt on his head. The wise old man nodded in the direction of the rebels, who were collecting the weapons of the governor's warriors, chatting merrily among themselves.

"You showed them your nobility by giving the defeated a chance," the old man said simply. The old man turned and walked towards the forest towards the camp. The leader of the rebellious peasants was watching him in silence.

Capital. Forbidden City. The Purple Palace.

Zhu Youjian, the Great Huangdi of the Celestial Empire, the Emperor of the blessed country, was in slight confusion. He was just informed about a conspiracy among the dignitary eunuchs in the province of Sichuan to overthrow the imperial family. Most likely, these were only rumours and would remain rumours, but it was time to decide something about the eunuchs.

The tradition of placing these "sub-men" in leading positions in the provinces and in the palace was established centuries ago and pursued a completely understandable goal for the ruling dynasty: to prevent the hereditary succession of local authorities when positions ed from father to son. Not being particularly concerned about reforming istrative legislation, the Emperors of the old days took a simple path: they castrated all the confidants itted to power unless they were of the imperial family or someone from the "noble" families.

The problem arose immediately after the young Emperor ascended to the throne of the Celestial Empire. He accepted it after the untimely death of his elder brother, Emperor Zhu Yujiao, who did not bother with offsprings, and therefore, did not leave any sons. Being the fifth son of his father, Emperor Zhu Changlu, who had many children, and his third wife, Zhu Youjian could not even think about the throne in his childhood, and, probably, that is why his childhood memories were so vivid. No palace intrigues or undercover games with power at stake! All this became the fate of his older brothers. But, apparently, an external observation also brings results, sometimes more significant ones, than direct participation in the life of the palace.

Perhaps that is why, barely ascending the throne in the year 4324 of the ShanYin era, bearing the sacred name of Ding-Mao, he immediately ordered to execute Wei Zhongxian, the senior eunuch of the departed Emperor, the squabbler and intriguer and the favourite of the supreme Ruler Ke Shi, as the two practically ruled the Celestial Empire behind Huangdi's back. It wasn't easy for him, but he didn't grow up in an ivory tower. Since he was a child, he somehow understood that the right of the strong reigns in the palace. Moreover, his kind and faithful mentor, who seemed to be engaged in his upbringing and training from the first days of his life, considered such measures vital, though cruel. The young Emperor accepted the country in a disgusting state: one crisis followed after another, as the weather seemed to take up arms against the Celestial Empire, as bad years repeated in succession. The Jurchens roamed in the North, and the Portuguese pirated in the South. Several provinces were constantly engulfed in flames of peasant rebels, which, however, were extinguished by his loyal generals for some time. Despite this, his army was still the strongest in the visible world and even its northern neighbours reckoned with it. And still, he had to do something with the dominance of eunuchs in power... These reformers from the Dunlin party invited him to familiarise himself with their proposal for state reorganisation. He had to choose the time and deal with this. It was also time to think about a child... He couldn't leave the country without an heir. You can't leave such questions unattended... So, he should forget about the chambers full of concubines for a while and pay more attention to his

Empress at night.

She has reproached him more than once lately for the fact that he has lost interest in her. Well, it's time to dissuade her. Imperceptibly, the Emperor went over to the window on the north side of the chambers. An amazing view of Jingshan, a beautiful mountain, opened before him. It stood out from the ridge that stretched North of the palace.

Once upon a time, there were huge reserves of coal, brought here in case the city was besieged by enemies. The place was called Meishan – Coal Mountain. Then they dragged some soil there to create a man-made ridge of five peaks.

Abundant pines and cypresses planted on the slopes made these mountains especially beautiful. It was a favourite place for children to play, and later on for the young Emperor to walk. This is where he was once introduced to his future wife.

Great Huangdi sighed. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, there was a certain disturbing thought, but Zhu Youjian could not yet understand which one. The feeling of imminent trouble and tragedy did not let him go for several moons already.

The Emperor moved away from the window, took a bottle of southern wine from the table, poured a little into a porcelain cup, and looked at it through the light. It played in the sun, as if transparent! Bravo Xing Wang, master craftsman among the makers of such imperial porcelain. He managed to create something close to perfection! The thin cup seemed to glow in the hands of the Emperor, letting in the rays of the setting sun.

Huangdi slowly drank the tart wine, previously tested for poison by special people. He ed very well how his predecessor ed away, poisoned by spiteful critics, and was not going to repeat his mistakes. His thoughts returned to the palace troubles that fell on him so unexpectedly at a young age. After all, are there any valid reasons for premature concern? He is the Ruler of a huge country, rich in people and resources. He has a four-million army at his disposal, ready to wipe out any enemy at his first command. As for internal problems that he inherited from the former inhabitants of the Imperial Palace, he can figure it out somehow. After all, he has a whole life ahead. So we'll execute the devas, together with these southern conspirators, confiscating the property in favour of the state treasury as usual. The corresponding decree will have to be prepared tomorrow. And today... Today he will visit his Empress after all... Zhu Youjian smiled thinly and, grabbing a vessel of wine, went to the female half of the palace.

Chapter 3

Mountain village. Liu Hei's rebel camp.

It was the second quarter of the Dog month, but the weather was still relatively pleasant. More like summer, almost without rain, with light, weightless clouds against the all-enveloping dazzling blue sky. Li sat on a rock, watching life in the camp from the hill. He could see the smokes of the smithy, where Tang, who was the first to meet them on the forest path and who took them to the camp, has been working for several moons already. Even here, at the top of the hill, the smell of Aunt Mio's cakes could be detected. He could also hear children's merry voices somewhere on the edge of the nearby forest.

Each tent had a fire on which they cooked their supper. Li ed with a grin what it cost him to persuade Liu Hei to provide him with several people and plough the first wedge in the spring.

At first, the tired rebel leader did not even understand what this strange warrior, so dissimilar to his fellow deserters, was talking about? "What do you mean by ploughing? What are you talking about?" The conversation took place in his tent after another successful skirmish. That spring, they managed to capture notable trophies and even the treasury of one of the governor's detachments. "The hands of these people (Liu waved his head towards the entrance to his tent) have long lost the habit of the plough. They are more accustomed to destruction. The creation will corrupt them, make them weak..."

Li shrugged. "You are the commander, you decide. Just tell me, Chief, how are you going to feed your army, which is growing day by day? Your warriors show more and more strength in each battle, as the governor sends more and more soldiers against them. A couple more battles - and we'll have an army of skeletons, unable to lift Master Yang's staff from the ground. Liu Hei glanced at him in a squint manner and shifted some papers on the table.

"What do you suggest? Say what you want to say; I am ready to listen to you." "We need to occupy a village abandoned by locals, and for some time, the soldiers will have to turn back into farmers. In the spring, we will plough as much land as we can and sow it with the grain. Our women and children will take care of the crops. There will also be a smithy and a forge. Our weapons need to be thoroughly revised after so many battles or even completely refurbished.

A smile of understanding appeared on Liu Hei's face. A Man of war could see another man of war. "But where can we find so much land?" "I've got some thoughts," Li Zicheng replied evasively. He and the old man had already discussed everything more than once and had several good ideas for this case.

Several men pointed out the location of the village at once. Someone went there on business, while others had relatives there. One way or another, but for the rebels, this was the ideal place for a long-term base: abandoned, with rich soil, several undamaged houses, an entire forge, barns and a nearby mountain river. A Great find!

Another advantage of this village was that it was located far from the trade routes. It was this fact, and not the fear of an imminent war, that forced its inhabitants to leave the village. Someone moved to the South in search of a better life; someone moved to relatives in the surrounding villages. When Liu Hei's army came to the village, only two elderly people lived in it.

Hei's fears turned out to be in vain: not being professional soldiers, the rebels were happy to return to peaceful labour. The hands of the farmers missed peaceful labour - things were set in motion. Luo Yang and Li Zicheng, with the permission of Liu Hei, decided to introduce the traditions of state military settlements in the newly formed army when almost full troops in the border areas were sent to cultivate the land. In military settlements, warriors were given land, inventory and working animals, asg 50 mu.

At the same time, Master Luo recalled a letter from Emperor Yongpe to Liu Yingu, head of military settlements in Henan: "If those tired and weakened people will again be forced to assist the soldiers who are now taking a break from military affairs, they will suffer even more, and the soldiers will remain idle. After all, the soldiers are kept to protect the people. How can they bring unnecessary suffering to the people?"

Whereas the system of military settlements justified itself in the regular army due to its self-sufficiency, while raising certain questions about the combat effectiveness of those units in the rebel army, it was the self-employment of soldiers that became the way out of the food crisis. Now, after a while, there was no need to fear imminent famine. In their free time after fieldwork, the soldiers practised fighting and sword techniques under the leadership of Zicheng.

Besides, Li introduced mandatory training for coherence in combat and combat reconfiguration in his units.

The warriors brought in captured armour and weapons and put them in order, and had

An opportunity to eat well and rest. They could not yet resist the imperial troops in open battle, but using the tactics of ambush attacks, they could expect that over time, the imperial commanders would begin to see them as a problem, and that was enough for them at this stage. This is what Li Zicheng feared most of all. The information about a wellorganized detachment in the depths of the province has not yet reached the emperor's ears or has disappeared in the stream of reports about similar clashes in the district. But as soon as the warlords begin to take Liu Hei's "army" seriously, things would change. Li reported these and his other concerns to the rebel leader at the end of the summer. Liu Hei received him in what was now his home, listened carefully, and then asked a single question: "What do you suggest? Shall we abort the uprising?" Li shook his head. "It would be the only reason, but, at the same time, the completely wrong way. You would be torn apart by your army as a traitor to the interests of the people." Hei looked at him without averting his eyes or blinking. He expected Li to continue. "And what is your suggestion?" "I don't know yet," Zicheng shrugged. "You need to understand, Chief. If they manage to expel us out of the foothills onto the plains and force us to fight with the regular army, your warriors will be done. The wooden shields of our soldiers

will not be able to withstand the fire of the imperial soldiers. And the imperial cavalry will simply smear our infantrymen across the steppe. You have to come to with this. The damage from gunpowder guns is unlikely to be too great, as the horses are those that tend to be frightened by the sound of explosions the most, the cavalry attack poses the main danger: we will be swept away in one go.

Li was well aware that the rebel leader wasn't happy how guests had changed the manner in their army. And that picture was terrible. Finally, Liu said: "What do you suggest?" "I don't know, Chief, I don't know... Of course, you can keep using the raid tactics for a long time, but sooner or 2later the enemy will find our camp and destroy us. And we do not have enough forces and means for an open battle. It turns out to be a dead end.

...That conversation took place at the end of the summer. And now he sits on a stone above the village and thinks about the same thing. One battle followed by another, with the next battle ahead... People are dying, villages and cities are burning.

Li heard soft steps and immediately recognized the steps of Mun: he was a little clubfoot due to the trauma he received as a child. An experienced warrior would not confuse his step with any other.

"I'm listening to you, Mun," Zicheng nodded without turning around. He imagined the surprised teenager's face and involuntarily smiled. Mun always tried to approach inaudibly, but he never succeeded, and he was constantly upset when Li called his name. "Master Luo invites you," the kid said with respect, bowing. Although everyone

unanimously recognized Liu Hei as the indisputable leader, Li Zicheng's authority in the rebel army was at on undisputable height after a series of brilliant victories under his direct command. Li got up, shook off his robe, patted the boy through his disobedient twirls, and walked away from the village to a place where Master Luo Yang was enjoying peace in a lonely fanza. The old man greeted him, sitting over a cup of tea in the clouds of pipe smoke. He nodded casually at Li as he entered and stuck another scroll into his bottomless travel bag. Zicheng nodded to the master and sat down on the bench opposite him. Taking a cup with an incredibly fragrant tea from the hands of the old sage, Li nodded, sipped half of it with caution and put the cup on the table. He looked at the master and waited patiently for an elder to start talking.

Luo Yang gave him a sharp look, with a note of satisfaction. He did not express impatience, which he did several times shortly before, and the master liked it. The student ed his lessons. "Amazing weather reigns in the mountains this fall," Luo said, lighting his pipe. Zicheng shrugged. "In the villages, they say that this portends a cold winter. It's good that Hei agreed to move to the village with his army. I am almost calm now about how we will survive the winter. "Almost?" Master Luo raised his eyebrows in ostentatious surprise. Lee chuckled. "Almost because the governor will hardly let us spend the winter carefree. The rest of the districts revolted. On the one hand, this is beneficial to us: we will not attract so much attention. The military will find something to do and someone to deal with. On the other hand, they will bring large forces. The regular army will always be stronger than a handful of disted and poorly trained fighters. "Well, as for training, thanks to your help, the former tanners and farmers can

already defeat many of the provincial warriors!" The old man laughed softly. Li also allowed himself to smile. "As for others, the situation is much more serious. Things went more or less well while there were one detachment and one leader. But now, when the dissatisfied have the opportunity to choose whom to follow, there will be more and more people fighting for different leaders. Believe me, it will not lead to anything good. We need one leader and one Goal." Li sipped his tea again and watched the light steam rising from the cup, silent. Then he quietly said:

"So they are all doomed?" "In fact, yes!" The old man said simply. "And there is no way out?" "I don't see it yet." "What if we give up?" "What's the point? Everyone will be executed anyway. Death in battle is at least honourable." "But all these women and children... What will happen to them?" Li gazed into the eyes of the wandering sage but only saw the reflection of the fire. Luo Yang paused, then said: "Do I hear the despair in your voice?" "No, I am dreaming about hope." "I don't understand you today. What kind of hope are we talking about, and what does dreaming have to do with it?" Li took a deep breath, calming the incoherent thoughts rushing in his head like moths at night attracted by light. Then he said: "I don't see how this uprising is going to end. We can conquer a couple of

districts, change something for ourselves, take land from the princes, and settle down. But I have a feeling we will be fighting until our last days. Luo Yang nodded in approval. "I'm glad you occupied yourself with these thoughts. It means you are on the right track. Only fools have no doubt. But you have a responsibility for those who believed in you. I do not know how this war will end. Sometimes riots swept away dynasties from their thrones. Who said it won't happen this time?" Li Zicheng flinched: "Did I hear you, right? Are you suggesting... to kill the emperor?" "Do you intend to hide in the woods all your life? And by the way, mind that I haven't offered anything yet." "But..."

By the end of autumn, Liu Hei's "army" had grown to one and a half thousand people. Without further ado, Zicheng suggested organizing men using imperial army regiments and classifications. With the consent of the leader, he divided everyone into groups of ten, hundred and fifty, asg commanders for each, and singled out pikemen and archers into separate teams, working with them separately. There was a reason for that. Even though they have only met scattered detachments of government troops numbering no more than one and a half hundred soldiers, Li could not stop thinking about the time when the governor and his commanders woke up and sent the cavalry and garrison units, armed with hand cannons.

When the Chief and the philosopher drank their first cup of tea, Liu Hei, embarrassed, decided to ask the master the main question:

"Dear Luo Yang, perhaps what I ask you will not seem courteous enough, but you must it: I am responsible for the people I lead, as we talked about many times before. Therefore, I must be confident in each of my followers." Liu continued: "You know, Master Li better than everyone else... I am frankly afraid of him!" The philosopher choked on tea and hastily put the cup on the mat, shaking off the hot drops from his fingers, coughing ... Reaching out, Liu slapped him a couple of times on his bent back. The master raised a surprised look at him: "So it's only now that you started to have fear for him?" Dumbfounded, Liu recoiled from the master and, taking a flask of dry pumpkin lying under the sleeping mattress behind him, knocked out the cork in one motion and started drinking from the neck. The old man watched Liu Hei's devouring the good wine. When Liu put his empty flask aside and calmed down somewhat, Yang continued in the same ironic manner. "At first glance, everything was going more than well: you managed to get a fighter into your army who not only perfectly wields a sword, bow or pike, but, among other things, can perfectly teach these skills to other soldiers. "Yes, yes, it is!" Liu hastened to reply. The sage nodded. "Then I can tell you what you fear." "What?" "The thing is that you know practically nothing about Master Li Zicheng, isn't it?" Liu Hei wiped his forehead and nodded quickly. Luo Yang grunted, refilled his cup of tea, and gravely took a sip. Liu stared at him, fascinated. "Indeed, this man has some kind of secret, and I have not yet been able to comprehend it." "For instance?"

"For instance? All right, Chief. He says that he was born into the family of a shepherd and that he tended flocks as a child. Right?" "Right..." "Then how do you explain that he was accepted into his squad by the prince of Gansu province? There were enough experienced mercenary warriors who had gone through numerous military clashes, but still, he opted for a boy from a remote village?" Liu Hei stared at the old man in amazement. Meanwhile, Luo continued:

"Besides, he is unequivocally educated. He knows military commands and battle tactics, which common army men do not know. One can only guess where the son of a farmer managed to get an education worthy of a general". Liu stared at him without blinking, while Luo grinned at himself. Then he put down his empty cup and clapped the rebel leader on the shoulder covered in an expensive silk robe containing images of the imperial dragons: "Don't worry, my friend. Whoever this young warrior is, we can only rejoice that this force is on our side. Trust me: he will be honest with you as long as you are honest with him. People like him never betray. But they always take revenge on traitors. And they are very cruel."

After waiting for the entrance curtain to hide the sage, and his light footsteps to die down, Liu Hei quietly snapped his fingers. An inconspicuous man slipped out from the depths of the small house like a snake and stood before him in a low bow: "I'm listening, my lord..." The stranger was dressed in clothes so shabby that it was impossible to guess what he was originally wearing. A wide-brimmed conical hat, pulled down over the eyes, completely hid his face.

His blank voice did not give any idea, not only about the age of the stranger but even about his gender. He could equally well be an experienced adult male or a middle-aged woman. One amazing thing about the stranger was his movements. It seemed that he was not walking around the room but floating from one place to another. "Did you hear our conversation?" "Every single word, my lord." "What do you think about this guy?" "He is deadly, my lord. But not for you; the old man is right. He's not dangerous yet." Liu Hei chewed his lips, listening to the noise of the camp village behind the wall. Finally, he gave a command: "Go to Gansu, and try to find out everything about Li Zicheng's stay at the court of the prince. Ask the local innkeepers and healers - after all, if he fought, he was wounded, perhaps more than once, and someone treated him....

Go. You have two moons until winter comes. You shouldn't fear an active war: it is unlikely that the soldiers will thrust themselves into the mountains at a time like this. Before spring comes, I need to know everything about this strange warrior. Is that clear?"

The stranger leaned even lower. Liu Hei took out a canvas bag from a small chest in the corner of the room, with silver tinkling in it. "That should be enough. Hurry before the es are closed. I'm waiting for you no later than the start of the Year of the Snake. Don't let your master down." The stranger nodded and "flowed" out of the fanza so quietly that the door curtain did not even sway.

Liu Hei sat down on the pillow again and thought about the oddities of fate that had brought him shoulder to shoulder with a mysterious stranger. He decided to wait for more information and then make some fateful decisions. For, as an ancient sage said, "... knowledge of the future cannot be obtained from gods or demons, but knowledge of the enemy can only be obtained from people and spies. The use of spies is essential in war. This is the that the army rests upon". He, Liu Hei, has already formed a fully capable spy network in the nearby provinces. Largely due to this, they managed to win battles with the emperor's troops with relatively little blood. Liu always knew who was in command of a particular military unit, what was his strength or weakness, what he was greedy for and what he was eager for. Zicheng, who received this information from him, managed to use it with maximum benefit for the troops under his command. Largely thanks to a well-established service of informants and spies, his small army did not suffer a single defeat in its short but glorious history, and its commanders were always aware of the enemy's movements within a couple of days. Now the spy had to work for him: Liu did not tolerate ambiguities in his environment. Moreover, he had big plans.

In the last quarter of the month of the rat, when the snow had already covered the mountain slopes with a dense carpet, at the end of a gloomy winter day, the spy sent to the Gansu province two moons ago slipped into Liu Hei's fanzu like a noiseless marten.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

Young Emperor Zhu Youjian looked at the peeled orange fruit in the light, then shifted his gaze to the dignitary of the tax and revenue department, who stood frozen at the foot of the throne. He had just read a lengthy message about the state of affairs in the country following the results of the autumn collection of taxes and was now waiting for

the highest verdict, desperately dreaming of becoming a butterfly and flying out into the frosty air of city streets, or at least getting a handkerchief from behind the cuffs of a luxurious robe and wiping off the sweat that flowed profusely along the back in sticky streams. The emperor was silent, trying to take in the nightmare that opened to him after the department’s report. To say that the Celestial Empire barely managed to freeze at the edge of an abyss was to say nothing. To describe the situation briefly, it all boiled down to the fact that the treasury was empty; several provinces were already burning with horrendous peasant uprisings, which meant that no taxes were expected from there that year.

The Emperor interrupted the dignitary's reflections with a sharp shout: "Hey, you! Apart from the bad news, which, however, I already guessed, did your respected department offer any measures to eliminate the consequences of what happened in our provinces? How can I fill the treasury now if the income from porcelain and silk state enterprises alone will not be enough even to maintain the servants of the palace?."

The official slouched under the angry gaze of a young but, by general repute, tough ruler:

"My Emperor, a proposal to reduce the postal service in the Empire, has long been circulating in our department. Anyway, it has become very dangerous lately on the roads, and people have stopped writing to each other. And we've got those fast walkers who are now in your service to deliver news to the palace... "Do you expect a large reduction in the postal service?" TheEmperorr finally raised his eyes to the dignitary. He swallowed: "We propose to completely dissolve the postal service... This will give us a

financial respite for at least a year and a half." TheEmperorr rose. The dignitary and the courtiers present in the hall instantly fell on their faces so as not to obscure the radiance emanating from him. "So be it," the emperor snapped carelessly, looking at the obsequious bodies spread out on the wood floors. "In the meantime, I invite you to my office, gentlemen from Donglin. I think we have something to think about in light of this report." He turned around and, not looking at the courtiers, went into his office. Three men in worn travel clothes immediately rose and followed him. Their shabby appearance could deceive anyone but the emperor and his entourage: these were not only famous scientists but also experienced warriors.

Chapter 4

The governor's troops reached the mountains as soon as the snow melted and the paths dried lightly. The first detachments of observers in distant villages were noticed in the last month. his was light infantry of only fifty soldiers and without cavalry , which made Li thrilled, although it was because of distinct reasons: the ground was still too soft for horses, which created a high risk of injury when moving along the mountain slopes. Any landslide, which could occur due to the weight of the rider and his horse, threatened inevitably cripple both. But, judging by the movements of the detachments, the Emperor's governor in Shaanxi was taking the suppression of rebels with no patience. Ordinary soldiers and officers this time were extremely disciplined. They did not waste time wandering through abandoned villages in search of belongings and food left by fugitives but purposefully scouted district after district in search of rebel troops. Liu Hei, with the consent of Li, who became practically his military adviser, was in no hurry to get involved in a fight, limiting himself to actively monitoring the movements of government troops. However, no one had any doubts that eventually, they would have to fight. Now Liu Hei's "army" numbered over three thousand well-trained fighters.

And then, out of a sudden, everything happened in a moment. It was an early spring morning when the patrols sent forward reported that a large cavalry detachment, with about one and a half hundred horsemen, were moving along the secret path to the camp. Liu Hei and Li Zicheng, accompanied by Luo Yang, met the first ranks of horsemen at the edge of the path. The intruders rode up to Liu Hei's detachment at an even pace, got off their horses and threw off their hats, bowing.

An elderly horseman stepped ahead, grey-haired like the moon, in good but worn clothes. He had a twisted lasso strapped to his saddle, an ordinary hunting bow, and a quiver with arrows hung behind his back. The rider bowed and dropped to one knee. "Great Chief Liu Hei, glorified in the battles! My name is..." "Bei Chen," Li Zicheng interrupted him. Stepping forward, he went up to the old rider, took him by the shoulders and lifted him from his knees. "Don't you recognise me? I am Li, whom you once taught horse riding." The horseman who had risen from his knees stared into Li's eyes for a while. Then his face brightened, and he impulsively embraced the young warrior: "Li Zicheng!!" he turned to his riders, as there were around one and a half hundred gathered in the clearing. Probably, the entire squad had already caught up. "These are my men, and we came to you." The Emperor's verdict on the dissolution of the state postal service took the messengers by surprise. Nothing foreshadowed their dismissal. The postal service was probably one of those untouchable links that cemented the unity of the Celestial Empire and served as an indicator of its eternity and stability. The inhabitants of the country had been using mail services for as long as they could . And then, overnight, thousands of trained horsemen, who needed something to feed their families, and who did not see themselves otherwise than in the saddle riding the eternal road, were out of work. With a grudge against the Emperor and the authorities and losing faith in the future, they had only one choice. Bei Chen, who headed the postal service in Shaanxi province, did not hesitate long. As soon as the governor's dignitary handed him a written verdict from the Capital, he, without further ado, gathered the close ones, the best messengers of the province. After a long talk, they headed to the mountains. According to

popular rumour, that's where Liu Hei, the successful leader of the rebel army, was situated. Everyone quickly got to know each other. The postal messengers were wellknown personalities in the provinces. They had to visit many villages and meet many people. Therefore, their friends or just acquaintances immediately showed up in the camp, and they established an atmosphere of mutual understanding. The mail carriers did not survive hunger or loss of their loved ones, like most of those who now stood with them in the same ranks against the governor's soldiers. But the bitterness of resentment against the Emperor who dismissed them at one moment was so strong that it could well be compared with the anger of the soldiers of the small army. They quickly found a common language with the rest of the camp inhabitants. Li gave everyone a couple of days to get acquainted with the life of his army, with its realities, and then began training the cavalry. This was when Chen became his student… After the first day of training, during which the former mail carriers mastered relatively easily. The science of wielding the Dao sword and the shield, Chen was invited to Liu Hei's home. Not only the Chief, Li Zicheng and Luo Yang were there, but also the commanders of hundreds and village elders. At first, Bei Chen was confused by abundant attention to his, as he believed, modest personality, but when the old master Luo Yang, whom he knew firsthand and deeply respected in absentia, put a cup of tea in front of him, Chen made himself comfortable, bowed and prepared to listen to why he was invited to Chief's house. The old mail carrier ed the wise words of Confucius: "Silence is a great friend who will never betray." And so he was in no hurry to ask questions first. When everyone present paid tribute to the well-brewed jasmine tea, Liu Hei bowed to Chen and asked the first question: "Judging because you and your friends have ed our movement, things in the Celestial Empire are rolling downhill. Isn't it, my friend?" Bei Chen nodded gravely. "I and my people had to wander a lot on the roads of the Celestial Empire lately.

It is not only our province that has revolted. Houses in Gansu, Hebei, Sichuan, Shanxi are burning... The rebel army is victorious in many of these areas. Imperial dignitaries tremble with fear at the name of a leader like Eight Buddhas, Armor Piercer, Dragon-Soaring Into the Sky and, of course, the Chuan Prince the famous Gao Yinxiang. They are now not only armed with batons and pitchforks, spears and swords but have hand-helds and widely use cavalry! This is the force that the Emperor will soon have to reckon with." Liu Hei and Luo Yang exchanged glances, while Li just nodded his head at some of his thoughts. The others stood there, looking tense. They, simple peasants and artisans, expelled from their villages by the vicissitudes of fate, suddenly found themselves on the edge of an abyss, where there was no bottom visible. It was a little scary. But only a little. "So we've got cavalry..." Li shook himself like a dog entering the barn from the pouring rain and looked at everyone with a cheerful glance: "Well, now we also have horsemen, and we can well compete in glory with the rest of the leaders of the rebel troops! Soon all the surrounding provinces will be under our command, and then we will dictate our will to the Emperor!" "I wanted to talk to you" Liu Hei whispered to Yang. "Several moons ago, I sent my man to Gansu. His task was to find out everything possible about Master Li.' Luo Yang only closed his eyelids to show that he was ready to listen further. Liu Hei nodded and continued: "Do you know what my messenger has found out?" "How can I?" The wise old man asked indifferently, shrugging his shoulders. "It was your messenger after all..." Liu laughed. "And you're not at all interested in the story of the one you brought to my camp?"

The old man looked at the Chief. "Li has committed a murder! And he has escaped a death row." Luo Yang chuckled. "We are living in war. Look around, each of your soldiers has committed murder" Liu raised his hand in warning. "I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about my first counsellor. As it turned out, I know nothing about him." "Why have you been silent for so long?" The sage raised his eyebrows. Hei scratched the back of his head. "So many things have to be solved every day... But it cannot continue this way. We need to sort out our relationship. I cannot fight back to back with a man if I know so many contradictory things about him." "So ask him yourself!" Luo Yang laughed. Hei stopped short, then clapped his hands sharply. A barefoot boy from the locals ran into the room, throwing back the curtain. He worked with the Chief as a servant for food. "Bring Master Li urgently. Tell him that I am waiting for him!" "Yes, sir," the nimble boy slipped out of the room like a snake. The old man looked out of the window: ranks of infantry swordsmen were kneading the street dust... The army was indeed gaining strength and growth, and this conversation really should have taken place long ago. Li appeared a few minutes later. He entered, throwing off his fencing gloves and wiping his sweaty forehead as he walked - he had just finished training a new hundred swordsmen and came straight from the parade ground. From the doorway, he managed to notice the slight confusion on the face of Chief Hei and the genuine interest of Master Yang. "Something happened?" He asked, walking into the room, sitting down on the mat opposite of them and pouring himself tea from the cooled teapot. Yang

shrugged. "Nothing special, in my opinion. Just..." The impulsive Liu interrupted him. "I'm not going to wait until something happens to us. And I do not intend to recklessly trust the inhabitants of the death row, especially those who left it without the executioner's invitation..." Li Zicheng laughed softly; "So that's what you mean... I did not doubt that this story would come out. The world is full of "good people"…" "But if you had no doubt, then why were you silent? Why do I have to pry out everything that concerns your past life?" Master Luo asked with a grain of resentment, however, without much reproach. Zicheng shrugged. "There is nothing to tell about. By and large, every person in the camp can tell the same or similar story." "But still?" The pressure was no longer heard in the voice of Liu Hei, as the prudence of the old master affected him. At some point, Chief suddenly thought that this was what wise mentors were needed for: to warn their careless children from unnecessarily harsh and untimely steps at the right moment. "Dear Li, you are not just one of these peasants. By chance, you are the best fighter and the undoubted leader in our army. Something tells me that you have a great future. You have already outgrown our level and are ready for great achievements... Do not wave your head because I know people of your kind: adamant people who set themselves a goal and go towards it, pushing mountains in front. But I want no misunderstandings between us. Honesty between colleagues is the key to victory in a common cause. Therefore, would you mind telling us how exactly you got into the death row?" Li chuckled. "I killed the son of a local landowner," he said reluctantly. Liu Hei and Luo Yang exchanged glances. "Knowing you, I do not doubt that he deserved such a fate. Did it happen in Gansu?" The old master specified. Li shook his head.

"It happened in my home village," he replied quietly. "Do you need details?" Liu Hei and Luo Yang exchanged glances and shook their heads at the same time. The young warrior seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Or at least that was just what it looked like. "Is that all?" Li Zicheng looked at the senior comrades without a single shadow of a secret thought. However, the Chief raised his hand in warning, urging Li to linger. "Alas, I've got unpleasant news," he said shortly and, pouring tea that had already cooled down, put it in front of Zicheng. Li hesitated for a second, then sat down on the bench opposite the Chief. He took a sip, put the cup in front of him, demonstrating that he was all ears. Liu Hei was silent for a while, pondering where to start the conversation. He was unexpectedly anticipated by the old master Luo Yang: "Li, we have carefully considered your proposal to unite with other rebel groups. You were right: we are not yet ready to repel the attacks of a large professional military unit, even if we have well- trained cavalry. Tell me, do you know any "mounted bandits", as the dignitaries call them, fighting nearby? Li listened without interrupting. His face did not show a sign of what he was thinking about. The old master noted with satisfaction that his lessons were not in vain: the lad learned to master himself perfectly. "It's unlikely that my knowledge here will be extensive," Zicheng finally said. His face showed nothing but respectful attention to his interlocutors. The master chuckled: Liu Hei's spy said that after escaping from his native land, Li entered one of the horse gangs for a while, but he did not comment on that. Li was right at the beginning of their conversation when he noticed that there were no sinless people in their army… "Too bad," Liu Hei said simply, nodding graciously. "I respect everyone's right to a personal secret, but this information would be very helpful to us now."

"I understand," Zicheng nodded and suddenly continued. "The one who reported on me probably told you that I hid for some time with the forest robbers, waiting for the escape scandal to fade out. And I will not deny the obvious, and I will only say that those who sheltered me at that moment are too small for your purposes. According to the rumours, the gang had been defeated by the patrol detachment of the governor a moon after I left them. It was then that we met, master," he bowed briefly to Luo Yang, who nodded in response. Liu Hei was about to say something conciliatory in response, but at that moment, a sharp whistle sounded from the south gate of the camp. "Call for action!" Li Zicheng shouted, rushing away from the Chief's fanza. Master Luo and the Chief, who was hastily pulling on the chain mail, which was slightly out of size for he and mercilessly whipped at his legs, followed him. The tired messenger fell off his horse right at his feet: "There are troops! A lot of troops! They're coming here!" Li jumped up to him and lifted him to his feet, then shook him with force: "What troops? What does it mean "a lot" and how far are they from our village?" The messenger who came from the front line of "secret," carefully camouflaged observation posts on the far outskirts of the village, was just a boy of about fifteen. Wiping sweat and tears from his cheeks, black from the road dust, he shouted: "I saw thousands of them! The governor's army even has "fiery spears". And they're just one ageway from here!" Liu Hei took a deep breath, soothing his heart, which suddenly sounded like a dove in a cage. The governor's army was something serious! It was not a scattered gang of paramilitary units that prowled the villages in search of an easy meal. They were not even mercenaries called up to fight the rebels. These were regular units in full combat readiness, and it was better to stay away from them... But what if there was no other way? He looked back at Li Zicheng, who was shaking his head thoughtfully.

"Why are you silent, warrior?" The Chief called out to him. Li raised his lowered head at him, and suddenly... He smiled! He smiled with a satisfied smile as if a messenger had told him the long- awaited news! The Chief felt himself gradually seethe. I transmitted his mood to Luo Yang, and he put his hand on the Chief's shoulder... Meanwhile, Li lifted the messenger from his knees and shouted to the side: "Feed this guy. He rode dozens to bring us good news: the main battle awaits us!" Surrounding the messenger and their commander in anticipation of the news, the rebels screamed as loud as they could. They immediately grabbed the boy in their caring hands and dragged him towards the kitchen. That emitted the aroma of stewed duck. Li pivoted to the Chief: "As far as I understand, you are not happy with meeting the enemy, sir?" Liu Hei chewed his lips: "How do I say it..." "Say as it is," Li laughed. "But anyway, we have a splendid chance to solve several problems at once. First, we will finally drive our army through an actual battle and see in practice what the soldiers have achieved in combat training. Second, once and for all, we can discourage the governor from meddling in those areas that are at your command. And, finally, after this battle, we will have something to be proud of and something to go into an alliance with stronger armies. I don't like to always be the bridesmaid but never the bride and live begging stuff from others," Zicheng suddenly finished. Taking a breath, Liu Hei asked in a low voice: "What if we lose this fight? What will become of the army then? Besides, there are many of them and not so many of us." "I don't believe there are over five thousand of them," Li objected calmly, "and our detachment already numbers almost four thousand, one and a half of which

are mounted, warriors. We're almost equal, considering the fact that this is our land, and we know all the paths here, and we can always retreat to the equipped positions, as we have already prepared three of them in different directions. Also, I will send a «death spy» to the enemy commander. Who will go to the enemy camp?" Several men immediately stepped forward from the crowd of soldiers, listening to the commander with bated breath. But Li had certain selection criteria. He pointed at a nondescript man standing on the outskirts: "You, Tang, will go to the enemy and inform them that our detachment is moving along the road to Yan'an. Pretend to be a deserter, volunteer to go as a guide. And then you will lead them to the valley of the Two Lynxes. Do you understand what I mean?" "Yes, sir," Tang bowed low. "If you're lucky, you will hide somewhere as the battle begins. Perhaps you will be able to survive." "Yes, sir," the warrior bowed again. "Then get ready," Zicheng nodded. Liu Hei coughed, drawing attention to himself. "And yet, I would like to understand how we can defeat the imperial soldiers? Pinching local blockheads are one thing, but fighting with the jackals of the governor is something very different..." "But one day, we have to get out of our valley. Otherwise, they will finally squeeze us here and then attack with all their might. Then you must fight on the of the enemy. Excuse me, my lord, I need to prepare my messenger to make the enemy's boat float my channel." Li nodded and walked to Tang, who was standing in the distance, languishing in impatience. The Chief only shook his head but did not object and went to his house to adjust the armour.

Li Zicheng was well aware of all the strengths and weaknesses of his army, but he did not consider it possible to postpone an open battle any further. Besides, he tested a couple of tactical methods drawn from old military treatises that he had been practising with his soldiers, being sure that someday these developments would come in handy. And so the hour had come. Tang was supposed to send the army of the governor to the valley of the Two Lynxes, a remarkable place where the road went through a field, bounded by hard and fairly dense bushes, while the field itself was not wide. This made it possible to completely block it with three or four ranks of soldiers. And the enemy cavalry, in this case, could not use their favourite method of capturing the flags and was practically useless. As for the tactics of the battle itself, Li Zicheng had certain ideas. The rebel army lined up on the field in the morning. According to Li's calculations, the enemy had to appear in only an hour. The formation of the peasant army was relatively common, but the infantrymen put their shields on the grass in front of them. And the cavalry, instead of preparing for an attack on the flanks, crowded exactly in the middle, behind the infantrymen. "You make our riders completely useless," Liu Hei hissed through clenched teeth to the young commander. Li shrugged. "Not at all. The enemy has "fiery spears". The shots will frighten the horses, and our horse's attack will fail." "So what shall we do then?" "Wait," Zicheng replied calmly. Liu Hei shook his head in deep doubt. For him, the army of the Emperor was still something out of reach, like the lord of the Celestial Empire himself. But at that moment, the sound of battle trumpets could be heard, and the first ranks of the imperial soldiers entered the far end of the clearing. However, none of the rebels succumbed to panic. Only a sigh seemed to sweep through the ranks, continuous and light... Liu Hei thought it could be a sigh of relief. The battle formations of the imperial army were beautiful. The first detachments were still at a decent distance when warriors armed with "fiery spears" came forward. The distance for firing the hand-held arms was rather large, but their

primary purpose was simply to stop the first wave of the cavalry. As the governor's army unfolded, taking up its space across the clearing, Li shouted loud: "One!" His warriors bent down and lifted tight bows from the ground, with the quivers behind them. "Two!" The first rank dropped to one knee, the second stood in its position, putting arrows on the bowstrings, and the soldiers of the third raised the reserve archers on the shoulders. Thus, all three ranks bristled with arrows, ready to begin their fatal flight. The governor's warriors were puzzled for a while but heard the commands and the whole the formation began to slowly move forward. "Three!" Zicheng shouted. Several thousand arrows rushed towards the enemy squad. I heard screams of pain; someone fell; someone tried to hide behind a shield. I instantly lost the order in the first lines. "Shoot!" Li ordered again, and again a cloud of arrows rushed towards the enemy. The most affected were the gunners, who were walking in the first rank, ready to repel a non existent cavalry attack. At this distance, their "fiery spears" were unable to inflict any harm on the enemy. The charges could hardly reach the first line of the rebels, and the roar of gunpowder pops could not scare ordinary soldiers. At some point, Liu Hei thought everything could be ended like this, practically on the spot, especially since the warriors with hand-helds were hastily hiding behind the backs of the shielded infantrymen. But, apparently, Li had his own opinion: he didn't just need a victory. He needed a complete defeat. "Shoot!" he commanded a third time. The warriors fired, then the archers got off the shoulders of the fighters and disappeared behind their backs as they raised their shields from the ground. Suddenly, a well-worked-out formation took a simultaneous step to the side, forming a wide age in the middle. And then an improvised cavalry from the former mail carriers, with pikes in a horizontal position, rushed into this age.

The blow of this equestrian avalanche was terrible. Enemy detachment, battered and disordered by the shooting, had not yet come to its senses. Enemy's pikemen did not have time to take a position to repel the horse attack. Zicheng's cavalry broke into the enemy formation with the might have sea surf, piking one enemy soldier at a time. The lances immediately became useless; the riders threw them away and dragged their swords from their sling ... The battle turned into a massacre. And then the formation of the rebel army set off in even ranks and, gaining momentum, moved towards the battle. The rebels almost ran the last meters and cut themselves straight into this bloody mess. The cavalry, meanwhile, had already broken through the formation of the imperial soldiers and found themselves in their rear. However, here they had to grapple with the enemy's cavalry, but this did not bother anyone: the lethal stream of arrows from rebel positions did not stop for a minute: staying at a distance, the archers aimed precisely, without fear of injuring their own people. Accustomed to the fact that their gunpowder weapons terrify and completely demoralise the enemy, the imperial generals paid little attention to the damage caused by the correctly placed and well-trained enemy archers, which worked in Li's favour. According to the classical scheme, the Celestial cavalry would cover the flanks of the enemy army, smashing the enemy's cavalry, whose horses would be scared to death by the "fire battle", and then, going into the rear, would destroy the enemy's infantry. But here, things "went wrong" from the very beginning. The damage caused by Li Zicheng's archers in the first moments of the battle turned out to be fatal, and the cavalry attack on the unprepared formations of the enemy infantry completed the job. In addition, finding themselves in unusual cramped conditions, the governor's cavalry could not be used to the full, so when arrows, poured in a fatal swarm from the positions of the rebels, knocked out several hundred horsemen, the rest thought it best to turn their horses around and rush out of the valley of Two Lynxes. The warrior mail carriers chased them down with a wild whoop, imitating the heartbreaking cries of the Jurchen barbarians. The swordsmen were completing the defeat of the main army. The imperial soldiers were already falling to their knees, throwing their weapons, begging for mercy, but the blood of the slain relatives flamed the hearts of the rebels, and hands of only a few of them managed to hold the mortal blow.

Luo Yang watched the fight from the top of the nearest hill. Liu Hei, as soon as the outcome of the battle began to be more or less determined, drew his Dao sword and rushed into the midst of the fighting, no matter how hard the old master tried to hold him. It was already clear to everyone that the governor's army was defeated. The battle fell apart into separate fights; the cavalry pursued the fleeing across the entire valley; the rebels slid on the ground wet with the blood but continued to exterminate the enemy army. Finally, Li Zicheng went up to Luo Yang. I chopped his chain mail in several places. Blood oozed from the cuts, a mark from an enemy sword loomed over his left eyebrow. His army metal helmet with a visor was dented, but the young warrior's eyes burned with the delight of victory. "We won old man! We made it!" He shouted, raising his sword over his head. "Where is our Chief? I want to please him with this glorious news!" He froze when he saw the old master's eyes grow dim. Li turned around... He guessed right away. And then something squeezed his heart. Several fighters were carrying a body on a cloak taken from some imperial warrior. Approaching the commanders, they lowered him to the ground and knelt beside him. "How?" Zicheng asked hoarsely, sliding off his horse. One of the warriors raised his eyes, wet with tears: "Chief Liu fought like a tiger when one of the governor's centurions treacherously stabbed him in the back with a dagger. We didn't have time..." Li knelt down beside Liu Hei's head. The face of the rebel leader seemed aloof and somehow childishly naive in death... It was hard to believe that this man, so kind, had rebelled against the Sovereign of the Celestial Empire himself. Li wanted to say something but only touched the forehead of the fallen with his hand in a combat glove, smeared with the blood of enemies. He got up, looking

around the battlefield... And then the polyphonic cry of his soldiers cut through the tops of the trees surrounding the clearing: "Long live the great Li Zicheng! Long live the Chief!" Wise Luo Yang looked at his student and smiled slyly.

Chapter 5

For a year now, the rebel army has fought in Shanxi Province. The Imperial Army still couldn't mobilise. Some of its generals, dissatisfied with the internal policy of the Emperor who could not deal with the court squabbles, openly sabotaged orders from above and preferred to keep exactly their troops and take them to the side of the battle, rather than facing the enemy face to face. And when it was necessary for all the rebels to gather in university and break through the enemy's defence, the leaders of one or another part motley as a patchwork quilt, the armies had their own problems and ways to solve them. And on the eve of the next fight, the Black Bull categorically stated that his warrior needs a break. To Wang Ziyong's statement that everyone walked the same distance. The Bull just left the commander's tent and demonstratively set up his tents a hundred meters from the main camp and then did not appear at the military council. This went on from time to time: desperately reckless in battle, the former peasants who terrified the imperial warriors in. The rest of the time, they were just barbarians who couldn't be controlled nor trained. It was easier with individual gangs who ed the army.

Those ones perfectly understood what exactly they needed to do, and in the battles, they spared no enemies. But there was another side of the coin: because of the robberies and violence that followed the peasant army in the captured city, the authority of the rebel leaders inevitably fell. Their leaders realised despite having a chunk of land under their control, they still do not have any capability to overthrow the Dynasty. Li Zicheng several times turned to council with a proposal to organise a collided army in the image and likeness of his own, in which there was no robbery and looting, the soldiers of which did not discuss the orders of the commander but blindly executed them. He wanted obedience from rebels and have spoken many times that they should construct settlements where they can rest, rather than making trips to their home villages. Those settlements could also be used as reservation spots for provisions. This was very important because the country was already struck by crop failures for several years in a row, and hostilities, in particular, had a bad effect on agriculture: there

was no one to plough and sow since the farmers either fled from the war or ed the army of the rebels. The North of the Celestial Empire has been starving for many years, taxes to the treasure practically dried up, and only a childishly naive person could assume that this would go on forever, and the Emperor finally did not Will turned its avenging gaze on the hordes of rebels. The first to the fleet were mounted warriors, who gradually lost their constant income from robberies.

They were ready for the storm the city walls and fortifications, not sparing their belly in anticipation of the inevitable plunder of the §city, but they refused to put their heads under the swords of the imperial soldiers in the open field. Zicheng now drove their comrades-in-arms to sweat, achieving consistency in combat formation and rebuilding, dexterity in handling weapons. Zicheng increased his personal guard to five hundred, now, except for the swordsmen who make up the inner circle of his guard, and swordsmen from a distant circle, he also had a horse hundred, which were his messengers for special assignments, in battle transmitting orders to individual units. In the future, he planned to increase the number of his Detachment to a thousand, increasing the number of fighters and adding specialists in firearms. In general, the army of the common man began to gradually turn into fully combat-ready formation, which is used in battles and modern enough waste strategy and tactics. That's just time for something, to complete the training completely, categorically not enough, I had to check all the battles.

And they suffered losses, not yet critical, but chattered on the horizon that - it is a disturbing invisible bird. The Emperor's cavalry struck at dawn. At another time, this alone would have already become the beginning of the end of the rebel army, which would have made this battle its last battle. But on the eve of Li Zicheng managed to convince Wang Ziyong and his closest aides not to give the troops sleep but to force the soldiers to prepare defensive fortifications. As suggested by Luo Yang, the carts of the convoy were lined up in a row, all belongings were piled on them, except for provisions from the calculation of a wearable supply for three days; they were poured abundantly with earth oil. Warriors ready with torches lined were ready to run everything to ashes. Wang Ziyang himself and his handy, close to the leading commanders, took place on a

small hill to the side, Li Zicheng and Luo Yang remained with their thousands on the right flank of the defence. Lee did not doubt the training of his warriors, who had been crushing government troops more than once in open combat. He placed two warriors on each horse and armed them with bows. As soon as the dullness of the morning gave way to a light winter light, the enemy horsemen appeared on the horizon. Lee even froze in the saddle for a while, amazed: this equestrian avalanche seemed so inexorable. Among his warriors, he heard a murmur - brave swordsman, the soldiers, who do not know the word "retreat" - a moment turned out to be on the verge of panic.

This is what Lee was afraid of most of all - having started to run, and it is very difficult to stop! But this continued only for the first few moments; after a second, the ranks shuddered and levelled off. Warriors only bowed their heads, looking at the inexorable lava cavalry rifles through the boards. But not everyone was so resilient.

On the left flank, several fifty, unable to withstand the psychological onslaught of the powerful attack of the imperial horsemen, broke from their seats and rushed to run along the edge of the water, sinking knee-deep in the loose night snow. Several hundred horsemen separated from the monolith of the enemy cavalry and rushed to intercept the fugitives. Zicheng swore through clenched teeth: the fate of the cowards was a foregone conclusion. Could only watch, as the riders of the Emperor, typing course, lowered the peaks at the ready, rising in seats, the distance between them and the fleeing rebels rapidly decreasing. Fugitives, at last, see, how close to his death, foremen hastily knocked together a - a semblance of order, several men, helplessly pulled the spear flying towards them like the demons of hell riders. But what could a few dozen warriors do in the open against the knee-to-knee ranks of professionally mounted warriors? The blow was fatal. A moment ago, a handful of armed people were blackened in the snow, and the next moment there was a crash of impact, the clang of metal and heart-rending human screams! The steel mass rolled over the rebels in one shaft and rolled further, leaving hundreds of torn bodies on the snow instantly reddened with blood. One of the riders, hot on his horse on the spot, beat him on his hind legs, in his outstretched hand, grabbed by his long hair, dangled the severed head of the White Necklace, the commander of a thousand from the

province of Sichuan. Lee turned away, glanced at his warriors: he is not averse total on the faces of the soldiers is nothing, but the desire to take revenge. - To the battle! He barked, and the archers laid the first arrows on the bowstrings. The torches were already lit, one movement - and a hot, high flame rose in front of the rolling enemy cavalry! Was trying to break through the defensive fire, or to wait until then, until you tighten the infantry, swordsmen to be spread again is an unexpected obstacle! But that was not all: arrows flew through the smoky flames at the attackers!

One look at the whole picture of the ugly enough to understand - Van Tszyyun was done! Front of the hill was built hastily re - ing provisions are hundreds, smoothly down toward the attacker's forest peak, but - for glow goes out flew tens of thousands of arrows, and the rebels were now in a position. The hunter turned into a game in the blink of an eye! Lee was able to see, as the collapsed hill Van Tszyyuna standard and the ranks of the defender's attackers disappeared into the mass of swordsmen. A real massacre has begun ...

The old philosopher rushed after him. They were covered by thousands of horsemen who came with them from Shaanxi and who had gone through all the battles of this, as it turned out, war, which was useless. Ahead were a wide river and a familiar bank, ready to receive their prodigal children. They were, without stopping, for almost three days. Many of the wounded, without waiting for the help of doctors, died on the way; the rest just clenched their teeth and endured. Li Zicheng went there, from marching on the capital - to the north of Shaanxi Province, into the valley of the Free Wind, in the Beast's Lair, as he called the lost village in the mountains. Warm houses, food supplies were waiting there, there you could lick your wounds and, rethinking a failed military campaign, prepare for new battles. And, that they will, no one doubted. This uprising, which began in one province, gradually covered the surrounding territories, and thousands and thousands of new people who want to stand under its banner will quickly replenish the losses of this campaign. Lee's horse walked at a steady pace, not outrunning the main column of retreating warriors. From the height of the saddle, Zicheng saw thousands of faces - sullen and tired, wary or illuminated with smiles of hope for the future. This was his army, his family, his brothers and sisters. And for them, he was ready to give all of himself piece by

piece. And they were ready to chop down for their leader until the last breath. Too much connected them, not just a common idea and ephemeral goals. Luo Young was cowardly nearby. He then slept, then, on the contrary, weighed the neighbourhood, that - from time to time on a piece of paper with a brush.

A couple of hours ago, they discussed this at a halt, and now the features of this camp have been carefully recorded and sketched. Now, whoever goes this way, having such a description in his hands, he will easily reach the goal. Master said that so do the sailors, to when - the measure, making your sailing of a Gulf or the Straits. Zicheng's army used roundabout paths for a rest stop away from inhabitant places, and not just because that the information about the ways of their promotion could reach dignitaries, as it is because of their large numbers. This crowd could leave without provisions small town in one sitting. The travellers took seats to the side so as not to attract attention too. The old master lowered the hood of his cloak over his eyes, and Li pulled down a wide-brimmed hat, such as were worn by officials of average hands. Most of the conversations were about local news. They shared views of the harvest, washed the bones of their landowners and dignitaries, secretly made fun of the Emperor, who could not restore order in the capital. The sovereign eunuchs, who practically usurped power not only in the imperial palace but also in the provinces, aroused universal hatred. It said that there are cities where the creation of a "third sex" behave almost like masters, robbing people and craft workers, proudly pointing becoming - feoffee the Emperor himself, and what to do. Sometimes they recalled the events of recent times, and there were various rumours about the battle on the banks of the Yellow River, sometimes completely far from reality. So, for example, it was in the news's course that the battle laid down over two hundred thousand insurgents and certainly is now - in coming years to renew hope and resistance to the authorities is unnecessary.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Purple Palace.

By a sad coincidence, the coming to power of the young - the first Emperor of the Dongling coincided with the decline of the movement. For many decades,

this spiritual Academy, led by the wise Gu Xiancheng, tried to harmonise the relationship of power between the Emperor and his people, represented not only by landowners and officials but also by ordinary peasants and artisans. In Wuxi, the cultural centre of South China, some of the best minds of the Empire developed and tried year after year, with varying degrees of success, to introduce the country's economic and political reforms, which have brought the country out of the crisis. But the authorities stubbornly did not want to hear any - any arguments other than those, which were pleasant. And they assisted the authorities in this by eunuchs, who were firmly established at the foot of the Emperor's throne. There were, however, periods when the representative of the Dongling able to achieve the next Emperor location, as it happened, for example, in the year Geng - Shen, when they come close to him, young Lord. And even have time to start something - what reforms, while clicks disgruntled courtiers future changes are not traditionally poisoned him. Rebels - reformers just as usual went to prison - moms. And again, everything returned to normal ...

They, weaned from the attention of the authorities, at first hesitated, and then select Split report Zhao Sen , on the fingers of proving, that his "progressive ideas" will bring the country to handle in next two years. And the Emperor believed them. And given the fact three of the Moon, so that they are prepared and presented him his vision of China. And they carried out his instructions. True, every time, when transmitted to him by their new proposals, they had this appearance, as if they were expecting a reward for it at least silk lace from his mercy. At first, it even amused him, but the birth of a long-awaited daughter made him a more subtle politician, and this situation jarred him. He stopped liking it when people humiliate themselves in front of him. He needed a powerful country, and proud people who are not subservient to the authorities can only build such a country. Let it be even the power of the Emperor himself. Only in this way can create a circle beside her wise counsellors, who offer not, that you wish to listen to, and then, that useful for the prosperity of the country and the people. Eunuchs him all ears buzz with their lamentations and libel - E on the latter-day undoubtedly talented assistants, but you - drove away eunuchs: one for the posts in the province, who just - out! And now, listening to the report of the representative Dongling on the economic situation in the country, he thought that he had acted wisely, bringing these people. All that they offer, of course, will go to benefit China. Only he does not have a deadline for implementing this entire program. Or almost not. Furthermore, this revolt in

Shaanxi, which is, sort of, and destroyed, but, with a different side, too, rise rather big force peasants in Sichuan and Gansu ... So all and the army is not enough because a significant portion of now has to vigilantly protect the Great Wall in the north - Jurchen is not asleep, and the only dream, as if to grab themselves a piece of China , as they have already done to Korea. But this will not happen! In the meantime, he will devote all his strength to strengthening his power in the provinces and will closely deal with these rebels from Shaanxi. He should leave a strong heirs Stra - well. If he has time, of course ... Emperor Zhu Yutszyan was covered in the conversation and did not see, from both - behind the curtain for the audience watched closely guarded eyes. And there was not a drop of respect for the person of Huangdi in them ... Only immense hatred and poorly contained rage. The Supreme Eunuch has outlived over one imperial favourite. He did not doubt that life and this will are shorter than the put to him by Heaven's limit. So it was, always will be with those who will go for centuries against the established order. For the "dragon" throne rests on the shoulders of a cohort of people of the "third sex", and no one in the Celestial Empire can change this order.

Chapter 6

The sunset was slowly dying with the last pink flashes in the West; the crimson ball of the sun slowly rolled over the nearby mountains. The forest darkened on the sides of the clearing with mysterious holes in the thicket, from which I could hear not even the cry of a lonely night bird. Nature was frozen in anxious bliss, waiting for the development of the night. At the very edge of the forest hid two warriors. Behind the shoulders of one bristled a quiver full of arrows, and he was nervously tightening his grip. The second was ready at any moment to snatch the deadly sharp dao from its scabbard. His deep-set dark eyes tenaciously scanned the clearing. Soldiers both were dressed in high-quality leather armour, shields behind their backs, helmets prudently lowered around their necks. These undoubtedly experienced warriors were ready, at the slightest danger, to act harmoniously and as efficiently as possible.

‘What do you think?’ asked one warrior who couldn’t hold his patience anymore. ‘He is not going be here today’ reluctantly, he grunted, dextrously throwing a longbow over his shoulders. After straightening the sling with a short sword on his belt, Zhang Xing, a former cattle slayer and now the commander of one of the rebel detachments from Hubei province, made his way to the rapidly blackening mountains. His young companion, who became famous in the last battle on the Yellow River bank because it was his hundred archers who, until the very last moment, covered the withdrawal of the main army along the river ice, followed his comrade. ‘Why are you in such a terrible mood, master? I more than sure we will meet him at some point, ’ Lee has stated in an amusing voice.

‘I shouldn’t have listened to you. I knew they would not use the same path,’ Zhang has muttered in annoyance. ‘We will find him’, Lee laughed back. Zhang Sin knew they shouldn’t come back without Li Zicheng’s . He gathers under his arm scattered detachments of rebels, those who survived after that terrible feeling on the banks of the Yellow River, and the Zicheng army, judging

by the s of eyewitnesses, today is one of the most efficient in Shaanxi province. Even the “frantic” Zhang Xianzhong, known for his ambition and wilful disposition, agreed to stand shoulder to shoulder in future battles with Gao Yingxiang. But two scouts of the “Chuan Prince”, despite all attempts, have not yet found “son of luck” Zicheng. Master Zhang Xing was about to look for a place to spend the night when, right in front of the two warriors, like swamp demons, smeared in swamp duckweed and ooze, four warriors appeared, instantly holding the points of their dados to the chest of Zhang Xing and Li Yan.

‘Who are you, and what are you doing here?’ A young warrior spitted out in anger. ‘And who do you think you are to stop us?’ Zhang didn’t hold back. ‘We are walking and minding our own business here’, he added in a more calmly manner. ‘You will not go further’, shouted one warrior and bringing a spear closer to the neck of Zhang.

‘These lands are under Li Zicheng’s hand, and we don’t need spies of imperial dignitaries here!!’ ‘Li Zicheng’s?’ Li Yan asked again with ill-concealed joy and looked back at his companion. He shook his head almost imperceptibly. The warriors slightly lowered their spears, then looked at the speaker, who was their leader. He also lowered his dao; something like embarrassment appeared on his face smeared with mud.

Goa Yingxiang’s Rebel Army Camp.

Gao Yingxiang, the Chuan prince and the leader of the almost one hundred thousand armies of the rebels in the Sichuan province, looked around his camp with an attentive gaze. No leader before him could boast of such a huge and well-trained army, gathered under a single hand. Nothing could crush this irrepressible mass of angry, revenge-hungry people! But Insyan himself perfectly

understood that to plunge the Emperor’s army into the dust, and he would not have enough even three times more army. The army of the Celestial Empire comprised about four million soldiers.

If it is possible to put under their banner all those who are not in words but dissatisfied with the existing order in the Celestial Empire, in which the children of peasants swell with hunger, the pestilence mows down entire villages, and the imperial soldiers take away all the cattle as payments of taxes and rent, then it is unlikely that even the well-trained imperial troops will stop the wave of the people’s war. With his mind, Gao Yingxiang knew well that such a situation was unlikely to develop in the coming years, the power of the Emperor was too strong, and the Jurchens in the North and East had calmed down, did not appear from behind the Wall, did not fiddle with the border guards.

And significant forces of the Emperor’s army are still drawn to the eastern provinces, they can expect attacks from there, the northern neighbours have repeatedly shown their fierce and insidious disposition. And the Chuan prince realised that there was no turning back. Too many people believed in him, followed him, leaving their homes, families, households hoping to find a new, better life. They did not have to expect forgiveness from the Emperor; they left or lost everything. Or almost everything. And those in his army were the majority.

The camp lived its stormy and incomprehensible life for the uninitiated. Between the rows of sturdy huts, foot and horse warriors scurried about, several forges smoked the sky, aside, on a hastily constructed parade ground, several detachments of fighters trained in combat rebuilds at once. In the distance, almost at the edge of the forest, there is an extensive shooting range. Archers and fire fighting masters studied there their subtle science. Hundreds of horsemen knocked down the formation, knee to knee, in the neighbouring meadow. Everything showed the army was energetically preparing for active hostilities. And although Gao Yingxiang himself perfectly understood that before the training of the imperial troops, these hastily knocked together tens and hundreds

would still stretch and drag there was progress, and this army no longer reminded him of the army that suffered a crushing defeat this winter ... He tried to consider all the mistakes of past years to avoid them in the future. And Gao Yingxiang saw his future only in yellow imperial robes. Otherwise, what they conceived was not worth a penny: too much was at stake. From somewhere in the distance, they heard a dull horse stomp; at least two dozen horsemen were approaching the camp. Gao Yingxiang did not expect anyone outside. His horse patrols had already returned from their daily patrol. The leader called the messenger with a nod of his head: ‘Go grab some help and check out what’s happening out there’ prince has commanded Bowing quickly, the messenger jumped into the saddle and, lashing the horse with his whip, galloped away from the commander’s hill. Yingxiang watched him go and turned to his assistant, the leader of the rebels from western Shaanxi, Zhang Xianzhong, nicknamed the “Yellow Tiger,” who had recently ed the army of the Chuan prince. The warrior, who was not yet thirty years old, was from Yan’an. The son of a travelling merchant was one of the few rebels who came from the army. He ed the army of the Emperor when his father died, and someone had to his family.

Xianzhong was an outstanding warrior, but many of the hereditary warriors did not like his quick promotion, and the end was quite natural: the “upstart” was accused of embezzling public money and put in jail. The accusation was so serious - the offenders tried to spread scamming letters among Zhang’s colleagues and heaped absurdities against each other - that they threatened the prisoner with the imminent death penalty. Fortunately for him and the misfortune of offenders, the wife of one of the senior commanders was in love with a young and handsome warrior. She made her way to his prison and, having drunk the guards with a sleeping potion, unlocked the traps of his prison. So Zhang Xianzhong was at large, which he immediately and took full advantage of, first killed the liberator, so that she talked less, and then all the offenders, together with the military judge. And since nothing else in the army shone to him except a rope or beheading, the failed commander ed the uprising in Shaanxi, where his talents were immediately in demand. The detachments under his command successfully fought against the imperial forces, but the hot-tempered and wayward character of the Yellow Tiger frightened his comrades-in-arms, for he began to pursue a policy of extermination of the unwanted on the lands he had occupied, to which he ranked all the landowners and officials. And, therefore,

the path of his army was abundantly watered with their blood. Ambitious and devilishly stubborn, Zhang Xianzhong exterminated enemies, regardless of ranks and ranks, from the governors in the districts to their scribes. The warriors idolised him, and they terrified the priests. For in their eyes, he was the Demon of Death. ‘What do you think about the possibility to move to the capital? ‘ Gao Yingxiang asked his assistant.

‘No, I don’t think we should.’ ‘You don’t think our army is ready to take it?’ asked Gao. ‘That is not the issue’ he replied and nodded towards the south, where Emperor's land was located. ‘We need to seed a fear into Emperor first, and only then we can attack him’ Raising his horse in front of a group of soldiers at the top of the hill, he bowed politely, saying: The warriors of Northern Shaanxi greet you, wise Gao Yingxiang, and your commanders. My name is Li Zicheng, but it probably won’t tell you much about me although you called me. And so I came.

“You’re right, warrior,” Yingxiang smiled, noting to himself how Zhang Xianzhong’s thin lips curled up in an unkind grin. “They’re both from Shaanxi!” - Insyan suddenly thought. “How not to get out of competition ... So it can ruin any business.” But he did not say it aloud but simply said: “I invite you and your people to camp, Master Li. Make yourself at home, take a break from the road, and in the evening, I am waiting for you for a council of war in my tent. Zicheng made another bow to the Chuan Prince and slashed a glance across Zhang Xianzhong’s face, which had become instantly impenetrable.

Gao Yingxiang caught that glance and only shook his head. I am glad that you have honoured me by taking a break from business and overcoming hundreds of miles to attend this council. All of you are honoured commanders; many of you are familiar with each other from the campaign at the hand of Wang Ziyong - the “Golden Bridge”. It doesn’t matter that then everything ended so tragically on the Yellow Ice. The principal thing is that for the first time, you united and give battle to the imperial troops, showing everyone that they can be defeated

together. Gao Yingxiang paused, making sure everyone was listening carefully. We are not yet ready to repeat such a campaign, and do we need it? - he continued, but a restrained murmur of discontent absorbed his last words. Insiang smiled: he was expecting this. And he said, raising his voice that they might hear him. - Yes, I repeat: they are not ready. Each of you individually is a force, and you can’t argue with that. But he is nobody against the powerful army of the Emperor. And together, you are not anything yet. As generals, you know how much time it takes a large army to coordinate in battle, to practice rebuilding and swift throws over long distances.

What do we have so far? Many poorly trained former farmers and artisans have yet to become a veritable army. Therefore, my advisers and I have developed a plan, and I would like to share it with you. The council of war began in the prince’s tent as soon as they blew the retreat across the camp. The warriors dispersed to their huts. Gao Yingxiang took the floor as the owner. Li, sitting a little to the side, noted to himself that, besides him, the leaders of at least ten large detachments from different provinces had arrived at the council. This means that it was a serious matter.

The Chuan prince paused again, looked at the faces of the commanders. On them, he could read only respectful attention - nothing more. - To begin with, we will unite our units into one army so that our soldiers learn to interact with each other, to understand each other perfectly. In the meantime, we will devote all our attention to short, surprise attacks on enemy garrisons and individual military units. This, first, will keep our soldiers in constant combat readiness, will give them the actual combat experience that is so necessary now. Second, it will bring confusion into the measured life of the state bureaucratic fraternity. “Sun Tzu,” Li muttered. - “Hit the enemy where he does not expect.”

“Exactly,” Gao Yingxiang nodded. - A blow - and an instant retreat into the forest, into the mountains. Where it will be impossible to pursue us, we must make our enemies lose sleep and gain fear. Such a fear that after sunset, they would not even stick their nose out from behind the fence of the fortress or from

the gate of the castle. The surrounding murmured approvingly. The Chuan prince smiled: he achieved the key thing - they listened to him. But until recently, every first-person present here was eager to immediately march to the capital! Even forgetting about what happened this winter with such brave souls. Therefore, I suggest you stay for a quarter of my camp. This will allow you to get to know each other, exchange some experience, look at each other. And in the fall, we will return here with our detachments, and together we will begin, as a potter from raw clay, to sculpt our common army anew. If you agree, drop the glove on the table ...

But experience has shown that such superiority is also not a guarantee of the success of this or that battle. Twice the detachments of the Chuan prince, a couple of hundreds of horsemen, destroyed much larger military formations and retreated with minimal losses. The reconnaissance did not help the generals: the scouts sent to the forests rarely returned from there, and those who escaped narrated with horror that “... these scoundrels created such a frequent network of secrets in the vicinity that a bird would not fly by, the beast will not slip through. “ Perhaps the scouts were trying to justify their powerlessness and incompetence by this, but this did not change the matter. The collection of accurate information about the location of one or another detachment of the governor was easy for the commanders of the “Chuan troops”.

The peasants in taverns and taverns willingly shared the latest news with their scouts, the merchants from the rare caravans at such a dashing time were also not distinguished by their laconicism, and at halts, by the fires under a bowl of good wine, they easily blurted out to “random ers-by” who looked at, everything they knew about the location and movements of the military in the towns close to the caravan route. Light-legged boys flying a kite, sharp-eyed girls flirting with soldiers in the streets of villages and towns, stooped old men, half-blind, accompanied by young guides - could not even the most sophisticated imperial commander discern in these most ordinary people, at which he sometimes cast only a short contemptuous glance, attentive, cold-blooded spies! Li Zicheng, with the help of the wise Luo Yang, developed and created perhaps the most advanced intelligence system. With promises and threats, onitions and flattery, his people got almost the entire civilian population of Shaanxi

province to work for them. Many of his informants did not know who they were telling this or that story and how important its content was for Gao Yingxiang and his commanders. They considered everything: a large army convoy with provisions and fodder came to this or that town - wait for new detachments! In the tavern, several soldiers staged a merry revelry in anticipation of returning home - some of them are redeployed to another district or are preparing to reorganise. We drive blacksmiths and leatherworkers to a small village - the detachment located there gathers on a campaign, rules weapons and repairs armour and shoes.

All this - and much more - gave the commanders a complete picture of what was going on in the provinces and what other tricks the imperial generals were preparing for them. And only thanks to excellent awareness during this year, not a single detachment has ever suffered a defeat and has not fallen into a trap prepared for it. True, Zhang Xianzhong and his commanders wrinkled their lips when listening to the report of this or that scout, Zhang considered it unworthy to ask and sniff out something like thieves. He was a er of open actions, sword to sword, and until recently, luck always accompanied him in fights. But the government troops were not idly waiting for an attack: their commanders constantly studied, tried to unravel the tactics of this “vile” war to forestall certain attacks. Although so far, they have been unsuccessful. But Gao Yingxiang understood he could not last so long. Eventually, the Emperor will surely throw a regular army against the rebels and not detachments of dignitaries and appanage princes, and then the “Chuan army” will have a hard time. And he drove his troops to a sweat. In this, Li Zicheng was his chief assistant.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Emperor’s Lake Palace.

Hong Cheng-chou, probably the most fortunate army commander in the Celestial Empire, paced the paths of the Emperor’s Lake Palace. Even the birds had become quiet at this noon hour, fearing to disturb the unsteady world that filled the shady gardens of the Palace. Hong Cheng-chou did not arrive at the Emperor’s domain with an idle visit or a report on another successful military

campaign. He hastened to open the Emperor’s eyes to the true state of affairs in the northern provinces - Shaanxi and Gansu. A year and a half ago, the last hope of the rebels for any success in their cause seemed to have bled out on the Yellow Ice. Then tens of thousands of rebel peasants from dozens of counties were killed, and if it were not for the quirky minds of these beasts: Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng, then that victory would have been complete and final. But now they have united, and with them - a huge, almost half a million army, almost twice the size of the one that undertook that unorganised attack on the capital in the fall-winter of the year Gan-Chih.

And, worst of all, this army changed its tactics. Scattered over a large area, it operates in separate detachments, exhausting small garrisons and entire regiments with ambush attacks, keeping watch for lost soldiers and their commanders anywhere, often even in their camp! The military suffers colossal losses, the provinces practically do not pay taxes, and all cash and other, more material flows coming from there are completely controlled by the rebel army. Hong Cheng-chou arrived in the capital, to the Emperor’s court with an unexpected proposal: he asked permission to negotiate with the rebels, with their leaders. No, you shouldn’t think that he, a general and a hereditary military man, at least by some edge, was ready to make concessions to them, not at all! He categorically needed to gain time.

He understood: a few more moons, and this whole colossus, called the “Chuan army”, will finally form, get stronger, and then the government will simply have nothing to oppose it! In the Northeast, the Jurchens, led by the daring Prince Dorgon, are ready at any moment to grab the throats of the imperial armies guarding the Wall. And they don’t care that they can scrape together in all corners from the strength of three hundred thousand warriors ... They are cruel and will not stop at anything as soon as they see that the throne of the Empire is shaking. In the West, these “Chuans” are ready to cut down everything that forms the unshakable basis of the Celestial Empire: its state structure, its army, its aristocracy - the flower of the nation. Nothing is sacred to them! And the worst thing is that as soon as they win the first major victories - and that these victories will soon follow, if timely measures are not taken, Cheng-chou did not doubt - how the southern provinces, which had not yet recovered from the - the

consequences of a monstrous pestilence. And then the Celestial Empire will live out its last days. Hong Chengchou’s lips were twisted by a fleeting scornful grin. This sip wore openly shabby clothes, hinting at his modesty and humility befitting the position.

Although he could not have exhibited like this, only natural delicacy and military discipline did not allow the general to spit on the path of the park sprinkled with the finest river sand! He already knew about the luxurious palaces that Cheng’en had built for himself in Henan province, far from the all-seeing eye of the Emperor. And after all, everyone knows this very well, but in public, they treat this murderer with ostentatious sympathy and sorrowful understanding. Vaughn of the Emperor is slowly carrying his bodies Gong Mo, probably the last of the “Dongling”. They say that the Emperor summoned them again, hoping for their wisdom ... But his predecessor took too much of a prank on their leaders. For many years they became “lepers” for those around them and are unlikely to rise now. Although, come on, how puffed up the learned husband ... He is already over fifty, I suppose, he dreams of at least the kids at court. Well, yes, these are their games ... Hong Cheng-chou stepped forward to meet the Emperor and bent over in a bow of honour. - May your blessed days last indefinitely, Great Huangdi of the Celestial Empire ... I came to you from the West with great concern, for only you decide what is good now and what is bad in our distant provinces. And what should we do in this hard time?

Chapter 7

Goa Yingxiang’s Rebels army camp.

The last days of the month of the Snake were standing. Spring ed its rights to summer. In the orchards, the rapid flowering had already departed, apple trees and cherry blossoms have flown around. The roads were completely dry; the sun was getting hotter every day. The war gave an unexpected respite. There were several reasons for this. On the one hand, there were few Emperor’s troops in Shaanxi, so the rebel army felt quite at ease here. The Emperor instructed the council to somehow try to resolve the situation in this province, and the officials allocated food from the state reserves to especially hungry villages and cities. Rows of carts with sacks of rice and grain stretched along the restored roads to provinces especially affected by drought and hunger. The “Chuan” warriors did not touch these carts, knowing full well that this would be a betrayal concerning the same kind as they are. And no one immediately understood the secret intent that was laid with this help, which seemed to have come straight from heaven...

Li Zicheng spent all his free time with the master Luo Yang, trying to comprehend as much of his wisdom as possible and to escape from the annoying thoughts of the young beauty that had settled in and captured his mind. They could talk for hours about the state structure of the Celestial Empire - in the past, in the present and in the future. The old master philosopher was in a hurry to on to the student all his knowledge. In recent month Luo Yang’s health has worsened. At this stage, a cough was something that always followed each of his sentences. In recent month Li and Luo had a conversation that to change the Celestial Empire, they will need to implement changes from the top. Luo Yang has taught as much patience and wisdom to young master Li, as he believed in him to be the next Emperor and was slowly preparing Li for this day. Suddenly Zhang Xing stepped inside. The former butcher, and now the commander of ten thousand swordsmen from Gansu, befriended Li Zicheng since the first time he

accompanied him to Gao Yingxiang’s camp. They marched shoulder to shoulder in many battles over the past couple of years.

Li Yan promptly followed Zhang. Guests having bowed to the master, they sat down in front of the table set for tea. Luo Young lit an alcohol lamp under a porcelain teapot, and a stupefying aroma of a magic drink crept under the arches of the tent. Lee glanced over at the comrades’ worried faces and asked directly: Is something happening that I don’t know about? The guests looked at each other, then Yan muttered awkwardly, “Zhang Xianzhong ... - What about him? He refuses to obey Gao Yingxiang’s orders. After that incident, when you executed the murderer, he stated that you think too much of yourself. “Strange,” Li Zicheng muttered, wrinkling his forehead thoughtfully. - In my army, they always did this with looters and thieves, and no one particularly objected ... “In YOUR army, Master Li,” Zhang Xing grumbled, sipping hot tea, “the trouble is that this bastard had nothing to do with YOUR army. He was from Zhang Xianzhong’s vanguard. Alas,” Li Yan nodded. - Damn it, this is the last thing we needed, - Master Luo Young threw up his hands. - How did it happen that he ended up in our camp? - He returned then from the raid, which was carried out together by our scouts and the advance thousand of Xianzhong. They did not immediately return to their home, stopped to rest with us, and in the morning, they were going to return to their camp.

Unfortunately, Tong couldn’t hold his drink and boasted about his “trophies”... ‘So what’s happening now,’ Li asked ‘He invites everyone to gather for the Grand Council across the quarter moon here in this camp. I have already sent messengers to the thirteen prominent leaders, at whose hand there are seventytwo detachments. We believe that the Chuan prince is going to reunite everyone in a vast army and strike at the Capital.’ Zhang Xing said, placing a cup back on the table... ‘We are not ready yet. That would mean a drastic defeat on our side,’ Li protested ‘That is not a bad idea ‘interfered Luo.

Everyone stared in surprise at the old philosopher, whom they used to believe almost infinitely and whose opinion often turned out to be decisive in the

disputes of prominent leaders. ‘But we have just discussed that we are not ready for a full-on attack on Capital, Master’ Li muttered quietly. ‘We gather all the leaders in one room. That is the start. If I am not mistaking, you were the one who wanted to gather all armies together. I think that is the start. When we address them all in one, we can change the minds, ‘said Luo. From the very beginning, the council did not go as Gao Yingxiang intended. The Chuan prince believed that his authority and the fact that such a representative meeting takes place on his territory would be important when discussing the main issue - the campaign to the Capital of the Celestial Empire.

He believed - as the further course of events showed, without foundation - that they would accept all his proposals with a bang. Well, it did not fit into the head of the leader, for whom the capture of the Forbidden City was a kind of fad, that for someone from those who, sword in hand, went out against the Emperor’s troops, such an idea might not be decisive. From the experience of his struggle, Insyan knew that you need to set a prime goal for people, and then you can move mountains with them, do whatever you want with them. But it turned out that over the years of active resistance to the authorities, this empirical, somehow transcendental goal - domination over the Celestial Empire - was gradually fragmented into hundreds of small goals, but so close to individual people. Someone wanted to avenge their loved ones who died of hunger or the sword of the imperial soldiers. Someone had a dream of a quiet life and their own business, and it doesn’t matter if it was a flock of sheep or a foundry - if only there was no war. And the third was completely enough: they had power over their soldiers, no means, prosperity and respect of others. They did not need a long and highly dubious march to the East.

With all their armour and weapons, they essentially remained peasants and artisans. And here, most of them had a home. From the first minutes, conceived as measured and circumstantial, the discussion of the general plan of the summer and autumn companies turned into a clash of different opinions and often unfounded ambitions. Nudging with their elbows and sparkling with insane looks, the leaders of the uprising stubbornly refused to listen to their opponents and tried to take the meeting “by voice”, outburst those present with the sole purpose of conveying their point of view to everyone. No one gave a damn about

the opinions of the others. Those present, who represented the rebel associations, advocated the continuation of hostilities in the territory of only their provinces.

The knowledge of the area, the general situation, the peculiarities of relations with local lords and dignitaries explained this. And they could not leave their plots unattended. Former “mounted bandits” and other personalities with a dubious past insisted on the campaign to the capital. All of them mostly ed the uprising in search of profit and hoped to plunder as much as they could. These were without family; without a tribe, nothing kept them in place. Among them were talented commanders. But here’s the trouble: they looked at Li Zicheng with ill- restrained fury, realizing that the “beast from Shaanxi” would not allow them to satisfy their pernicious ion for plundering the captured cities. Everybody saw the sight of Tong dying in the dust with his guts out. And if anyone did not witness this reprisal with his own eyes, it overwhelmed him with stories about the incident in the Zicheng camp and made the conclusions. The Chuan prince at first tried to direct the discussion according to the previously worked out course, but it was not enough for a long time. Gao Yingxiang sat down heavily on the bench aside and closed his eyelids. Gradually the noise and din in the room disappeared into the distance.

The commander plunged into meditation. A jolt to the shoulder of his henchman, the boy squire, pulled him out of his shock: - Master, master, listen ... Gao Yingxiang shook himself like a dog running into a barn out of the rain and listened. To his amazement, the hubbub of voices had died down; everyone was focusing on one speaker. The Chuan prince looked closely at the crowd of leaders and saw that it was none other than Li Zicheng, who was in charge! He said something calmly while the others focused, and even the implacable Zhang Xianzhong nodded approvingly in time with his words, although their “friendly” relationship with Zicheng was no secret to anyone. Now Insyan also listened. Lee laid out his plan for a summer company: “You can see for yourself, leaders, that the valleys of Shaanxi province and even the fields of Gansu will not feed our army long enough. And the trip to the capital requires not only dominant forces but also an enormous amount of supplies. The wise Sun Tzu in his “Art of War” said that “... if an army is in the field for a long time, then a lack of funds arises in the state. If the weapon becomes dull and the points break off, the

strength will be exhausted, and the means run out, zhuhou, taking advantage of the sovereign’s weakness, will rise to him. And then, even if he has wise helpers, he cannot do anything. Therefore, an inexperienced commander wins a war if he shoots, but it does not happen that a skilled commander fights for a long time.

“The longer we sit idle in the field, the weaker our army is. Our strength lies in onslaught and speed. Therefore, I propose the following plan. We will divide our army into four parts by the number corresponding to the tasks assigned to them. Three armies will hold back the onslaught of the imperial troops from the North, West and South, guarding the territory we have already captured. And the fourth part will move to the East, expanding our dominion. This way, we can perform several tasks at once. Local troops will man the armies remaining here for defence. This will allow not to rip the peasants from their places but to get a harvest in the fall and provide the army with food for the winter. All those who crave an offensive will go with the Fourth Army. In this way, we will seize the land that can feed our now considerable army. This is my general plan. Do you agree to accept it?”

The roar of ecstatic voices from hundreds of tinned sips was his answer. The Chuan prince calmly closed his eyes: not him, but this fox Li Zicheng saved the army! The strength of the army lies in the unity of the commanders, and now everything was in order here. Li Zicheng was sitting over a map of the eastern reaches of Shaanxi Province when someone scraped himself into his tent outside.

Whom did it bring for the night looking? - Lee muttered with displeasure, rolling up a scroll of cards. He got up and threw back the canopy. Before he stood a messenger from the chief of the guard, bowing, he respectfully said: The commander asks you to proceed to the southern post, a horseman asks you there, a woman is with him ... - “Who are they?” Zicheng quickly threw his robe over his shoulders, stepped into the night, the messenger stepped aside.

He introduced himself as your nephew, sir ...

For a second, it took Zicheng by surprise, his face successively replaced by expressions of bewilderment, disbelief, amazement. Suddenly he, pushing aside the messenger, rushed to the southern posts. Already from afar, he noticed a bunch of warriors surrounding someone. At this distance, individual voices were not heard, but the thunderous laughter could be heard even here. Lee stopped for a second and smiled too. If it was the one whom he thought about and whom he considered dead all these years, then the fun of the warriors is understandable “baby Li Guo” could have made the dead laugh; he knew so many tales and funny stories. ing to a sedate step, Li Zicheng decisively crashed into the ring of soldiers; they recognized him.

In the circle stood, holding the bridle, a tall, stately young man, dressed in the good armour of a princely warrior. Next to him, on a black mare, sat a young woman dressed in a deluxe dress. She wore a cape made in the patterns of the distant South on her shoulders; her raven- coloured hair gathered at the back of her head in a thick bun, held by an intricate gold hairpin as a curly snake, decorated with stones and blue glaze. Green eyes peered out from under the hood of the cape. The laughter ceased, and Li Gao noticed the appearance of an outsider. He slowly turned around, and ... Uncle and nephew embraced, for a second speechless. Surprised, hubbub erupted around him.

Zicheng, at some point, came to his senses, pushed the young man away from him at the insistence of an outstretched hand, peered into his features ... - But the mind refuses to believe in the obvious ... Didn’t you stay in Michji’s ashes? Li Gao instantly darkened, took a deep breath, suppressing the sob ready to break out ... No, my brother and ... uncle. I was not in Michji when all this happened. A couple of moons before that, I had been hired in the squad of a small prince from Sichuan, I needed money, and it was difficult to earn money on the roads that year alone. And I can’t do anything else but swing a sword - I don’t bother, unlike you, to lean into some kind of peaceful profession. So I had to sell my military skills to the side. I learned about Michji from the postmen. I also learned

that you had been to the ashes with some old man ... I was looking for you, uncle ... I didn’t make it to the Yellow River, I scoured the forests and mountains, asking those who survived that battle and fled home ... And only the moon back was prompted to me that some Zicheng acted under the arm of the Chuan prince. I took my friend Kiu with me, and we went here hoping to find you. I’m so happy! - and he again threw himself into the arms of Zicheng. Luo Yang watched them closely from the side.

Incredible story, don’t you think? - Master Luo carefully looked at his student. Lee just shrugged his shoulders ... He was still under the impression of meeting his nephew, whom he considered dead all these years. - Tell us about him, who he is, how he found you ... You were chatting about something all night? And who is this girl? Zicheng rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. - Li Guo is the son of my uncle, my father’s brother. We are the same age, I am two weeks older than him. My uncle died early, and Li Guo was brought up with me. He, like me, comprehended military science under the guidance of our third common uncle, father’s cousin. We played together, together we made fear in the neighbouring villages. We grew up like siblings, and that’s how everyone thought .

Then I went to Gansu, to the prince’s squad, well, when at home I felt a little ... uncomfortable, but. Do you ... The old man nodded. - Here ... And then our paths parted completely. Then, in the cave of the village, I grieved for him. I had no more relatives in Michzhi ... It would have been the greatest loss in my life if heaven had not had mercy on me and brought us together again. The old man nodded thoughtfully, sucked on the shank of the empty pipe. - And this companion of his ... - Kiu? - Well, yes. - They met in one of the taverns in the north of Sichuan, worked there as a dancer ...

Kiu is an orphan, and she hunched over the mistress because of a piece of bread for her younger sister. But three moons ago, the girl died at the hands of an accidental robber, who raged in earnest in the tavern. Li Guo then hacked him to death, but the hostess, frightened by the revenge of the murdered comrades,

drove Kiu out into the street. Li Guo asked her to go with him, and she agreed ... “Smart girl, as I noticed yesterday,” Yang put in. Zicheng nodded absently. “You say she’s from the South?” - No, teacher, she came from the West to the South after her village was burned, like Michzhi, and they killed her parents. She went through a lot.

The philosopher nodded again. Then he jabbed the pipe into Zicheng’s chest with the shank. - Call her ... “She’s still asleep, probably,” Lee muttered in bewilderment. The old man shook his head. - Call. Time is running out ... When Kiu, wrapped in a simple travelling robe, entered the tent, Luo Young nodded to her on the bench opposite him and began right off the bat: “Your family died at the hands of the imperial warriors, didn’t they, my girl? Kiu nodded, bewildered, and looked inquiringly at Zicheng. He just threw up his hands: answer, they say. - Yes, sir. That was how it was. - Would you like to avenge their death? For a moment, Kiu’s eyes flashed like lightning, but she instantly closed her eyelids. The old man waited. She was silent. Finally, the old master quietly said: - You don’t have to answer ... I understood everything as soon as I saw you. Only this will be a deadly business, what I want to offer you ... “I’m not afraid of death,” the girl threw up. The old man raised his hand soothingly. “Deadly unless you follow the simple rules of caution. - What should I do? Kiu asked quietly, looking up at Yang with hidden rage. - Cut them, choke, poison? I’m ready for anything ... The old philosopher chuckled into his grey moustache. “You will dance for your enemies,” he said simply, waiting for her reaction. And I was not mistaken ... Peasant army. Environs of the Chesyan gorge. Lee didn’t know why he didn’t want to walk this gorge.

Well, I just didn’t understand - that’s all. Either intuition had sharpened lately to an incredible degree, or the feeling of imminent danger was giving signals ... come up with ... What if these two scouts were “death spies”? A bargaining chip in a survival game? However, after reading all the options, he and Master Young concluded that then this whole idea with the prisoners was calculated by a veritable master. And he was completely successful. Here it is, the “Chuan army”, almost in full force itself, creeps into the gorge. It is enough to block both exits - and the trap will close!

The Chesyan gorge stretches for almost twenty li. When the head of the column reaches the southern exit, it will also pull the tail into this crevice. While nothing portended danger, the scouts controlled all approaches to the gorge from both ends. The warriors walking ahead carried torches at the ready with a special tow wound on them, which, when burned, gives off thick black smoke, so I agreed it signal a danger along the column. Near Li Zicheng, there was always a personal thousand in military attire, ready in case of extreme danger to cover the withdrawal of the leaders of the uprising. Unfortunately, Gao Yingxiang, intending to stay in Sichuan for a long enough period, took his concubine with all the belongings into his wagon train, and now this thousand had to monitor her safety. But Li Zicheng was especially strained because the guide who showed them this way, in the past, drove the oxen this way, as soon as the army was drawn into the mouth of the gorge, hurried home, referring to urgent matters and diligently hiding his eyes. What he feared was natural: he saw close to the “demon in the flesh” - Li Zicheng.

The commander was already accustomed to the fact that people who knew little of him, with this name alone, we’re ready to wet the hem of the dressing gown; what can we say about an illiterate, downtrodden peasant. Still, Lee tried to keep the guide close to him. And now the guide was prancing about on his thin filly beside him, looking longingly to the north. There was my native Shaanxi; there was a house. The old master rode up closer and, leaning over to Li’s ear, said quietly: - Something flashed over there, high on the mountain slope? Left? Zicheng stopped his horse, looked closely ... The sun was already high but was leaning towards the distant mountains. The slopes of the gorge were cut with deep blue-black shadows in which nothing could be seen. But on the crest ... Lee peered for about a minute, then shouted gutturally: - Danger left and right! Archers - dismount and cover the column! The rest take a position on the defensive! And once again, he was convinced of the old man’s excellent eyesight: the reflection of the setting sun was reflected on the tip of someone’s spear. And since the entire army was in the valley, it could only be an ambush! Snatching a whip from the bootleg, Zicheng, with one stroke, swept the noose around the conductor’s neck and knocked him off the horse with a sharp jerk. No sooner had his skinny body touched the ground than Lee rushed at him straight from the saddle. Turning the traitor over on his stomach, he ed the handle of

the whip under his neck and pulled his head to his back: - Speak, scum, how many are there? The conductor thrashed, wheezed, Zicheng slightly let go of the whip, and he croaked: - Not less than thirty thousand! - and laughed hoarsely. You’re finished, jackals! You will all die here in this gorge! “But you’ll die first,” Lee said calmly, and with a sharp movement, he twisted the traitor’s neck. Jumping up, he waved his hand to Gao Yingxiang:

To me, quickly to me! Ambush! Li Guo, cover the left flank with your hundred! After all, over the years, the former peasants have gained tremendous combat experience! As soon as the signal sounded, thousands of soldiers instantly began to rebuild from a marching order to a defensive position. The enemy would not have been able to attack along the talus, and people and horses would have broken their legs here! But to strike along the gorge, from its entrances, holding the column from both sides is quite a real possibility!

Lee had already seen the enemy cavalry hurrying down from the ridges on the sides of the gorge, and he would not have had enough strength to meet her with a front - almost all the troops had already been drawn into a long hollow! And then he made the only correct decision, shouting: “Archers, come to me!”. While the swordsmen and pikemen blocked the entrance to the gorge, the archers, quickly climbing higher on the slopes, took up positions on the dominant heights and immediately began shelling the enemy detachments. And then the old master noticed that Gao Yingxian’s wagon train was behind and did not have time to reach the entrance to the gorge.

He shouted something and pointed to several of Lee’s carts. He understood everything in an instant, jumped into the saddle and, shouting to the soldiers, “Cover!”, Rushed to the barely crawling carts, the inhabitants of which were shouting something to them, constantly looking back at the approaching wave of enemy cavalry. Lee estimated that they would gallop to the wagon train almost simultaneously with the troops of the imperial horsemen. He, without slowing down, raised his right hand. Perfectly understanding his signals, the soldiers of the personal thousand directly at a gallop put arrows on the bowstrings, another

swing - and the soldiers fired the first salvo, immediately cocking their bows again. The horsemen striving for the wagon train did not expect such a rebuff! Their first ranks rolled under the feet of their horses, never realizing what was happening! The rear ones pressed on, but the same fate awaited them ... Not expecting to meet the resistance of the enemy discouraged by the unexpected attack, they swooped down on the red-hot arrowheads with their chest, not even realizing that they were already dead! In a moment, a blockage of human and horse bodies formed in front of the train. It turned the rest to the sides, trying to avoid the same fate that befell the especially zealous fighters of the first ranks. Luo Young saw on the front cart a full-length young woman with hair fluttering in the wind. Only by a miracle, she has not yet been struck by an accidental arrow.

Directing his horse towards her, the old master at a gallop tore her off the cart in one motion and, throwing her over the saddle, rushed at a gallop towards the gorge. The charioteers who came to their senses also attacked the mules, and the carts rolled under a saving shower of arrows, the “Chuan” archers in a continuous stream launched which! Having lost only a few people, the brave horsemen went under protecting their army; triumphant smiles shone on their faces. Meanwhile, Gao Yingxiang managed to completely rebuild the army, and a friendly volley from hand-held arms greeted the cavalry of the pursuers! No sooner had the cloud of powder gases dispersed as they knocked down a line of pikemen set out to meet the enemy riders. A thick wall of spears met the first wave of attack, horsemen, pierced with arrows and pikes, rolled on the ground, mortally wounded horses whinnied! A fierce battle began in which both sides did not expect mercy and did not know. Dismounting behind the wall of his people, Li Zicheng saw the Chuang prince tenderly embracing the beautiful woman from the train that the old philosopher had just saved. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his robe, wet with blood, Lee chuckled and, drawing his sword, rushed towards the close battle. For some reason, it seemed to him that today he was not destined to die ...

Chapter 8

Camp of the army of Gao Yingxiang, the Chuan prince.

Li Zicheng threw back the canopy of the Chuan prince’s tent and entered the dimly lit room. The leaders of individual detachments who had taken part with them in the march to the South had already gathered at a long table. When Zicheng appeared, everyone stood up, Gao Yingxiang himself remained sitting, but his eyes smiled slyly. Old Luo Yang, who followed Zicheng in, whispered in his ear: - Fear the mercy of the rulers ... Behind their caress is only new misfortunes ...

Lee waved him off, but somewhere there, under his heart, there was a slight ache. - Sit down, my hero and my brother, - the Chuan prince announced loudly, pointing to an empty seat on his right hand. From surprise, Li even slowed down in place, but, having received a tangible poke under the ribs from Master Luo Yang, he involuntarily stepped forward. The others shouted enthusiastically; the soldiers nearest to him, clapped him on the shoulder, smiled. Lee looked around in bewilderment, making his way through the jabs and handshakes to the place indicated to him. Once near, Insyan, he froze for a moment, at that moment the Chuan prince rose to his full height and embraced him by the shoulders, turned his face to those present, raised his hand: - Listen to everyone and do not say later that you have not heard! I, the Chuang prince Gao Yingxiang, the leader of the united army of the Western and Southern provinces, declare that the brave Li Zicheng, “the wild boar from Shaanxi”, the commander of one of my armies from now on and forever is my named brother and my sister’s husband!

The Yellow Tiger, with a grin, watched the bewildered face of the man, then sly eyes turned to Gao Yingxiang. Li shuddered, recoiling slightly, but Gao

Yingxiang had already waved his hand to someone, and a short, pretty girl entered the tent, modestly looking down. She was dressed in a modest lilac dress to the heels, on her shoulders - a fur cape for the weather; in her hands, she held an elegant bamboo fan which covered her face but did not prevent her from considering the future “husband” with almond-shaped smiling eyes. Li caught his breath. He stared at the Chuan prince in bewilderment. The old master gave a mocking laugh behind his back ...

Zicheng looked straight into Gao Yingxiang’s eyes. They won that battle in the gorge ... Not to say that it was easy for them if it were not for the master Luo Yang, who saw the reflection of the imperial Warrior’s peak at the top of the ridge; everything could have turned differently. The victory was so dear to them: over three thousand “Chuan” soldiers were killed in that battle, but the Hung Cheng-chou army was almost completely defeated, leaving eight thousand swordsmen and almost fifteen thousand cavalry soldiers in the Chexiang Gorge. The commander-in-chief of the Army of the West himself was forced to retreat in disgrace, the riders of Li Zicheng, drunk with the blood of the recent battle and not yet recovered from the horror of a possible encirclement and imminent death, sought to take out their recent fears on the enemy and did not know mercy. And the commander did not give the order to take prisoners. This war was already going on for survival ...

Li Zicheng leaned back on the pillows filled with fresh hay, which caused the familiar and soothing scent of a long-forgotten house to be carried through the tent. The house, which he now did not even , which he left many years ago, and on whose ashes he swore not to rest until he found and punished the true culprit of the tragedy that took place in his native village. But over the years, the list of those who are subject to inevitable destruction is growing and growing ... Master Young was right: in the tragedy of many, there is no one to blame. Only this does not make it easier on the soul burdened with hundreds of selected lives. Near her side, she turned in her sleep and whispered something to Gaoshi, the newfound wife who gave him the long-forgotten pleasure of female caresses. These two days, they practically did not leave the tent, and in the camp, they seemed to have forgotten about their existence. Even the meticulous Master Yang gave him a break from his teachings and instructions ...

Goshi slid a hot snake under his side, pressed her whole body and whispered: How long have you been alone, my Warrior... - Long, Gaoshi, very long ...

Li Zicheng, exhausted by this first crazy night of love, stroked her fluffy hair, smelling of lavender and some other herbs, God only knows what her handmaids washed them with, one of whom Master Young even called “the keeper of secret knowledge,” which in his mouth was a sign of the highest respect. - Why haven’t you got married yet? - On whom? Lee laughed softly. - I am already married to my army; in recent years, I have not had time for women. - But you were married? - Goshi stroked his broad chest. - it it, my husband, why have you shunned women all these years? And don’t lie to me: I can feel it ... Lee sighed. Yes, Gaoshi, I was married. Once I loved and was, well, as it seemed to me then, loved. I grew up in a poor family, but well off. My father always dreamed of an heir and was glad to his first-born, my elder brother. But he sinned with something before Heaven, and it gave him a sick child. But the father did not stop dreaming of a worthy successor to him and continued to walk to Mount Huashan and pray, now - for the sending down of his second son. He said that once in a dream, the Spirit whispered in his ear: “So be it, man, I will give you a Star that smashes the Troops!” After that, I was born ... And in the same year, my older brother died ...

Gaoshi’s fingers slid reassuringly over his thick, sharply arched eyebrows. - Did you grow up alone in the family? Zicheng chuckled. - But how can I tell you ... I was the only son, but near? There was a nephew of mine, Li Guo, and we grew up together; I raised us as warriors, although we had to graze sheep, such as the village life. Our cousin uncle taught us fencing, archery, and we tormented ourselves with various exercises to be strong, dexterous ... I was stupid then. I told my friends constantly.

Li reached out to a jug of spring water standing at the head, gulped greedily; Gaoshi patiently waited for the story to continue ... After all, next to her lay not

just her husband and man, but the one about whom the most terrible rumours were spread throughout all the surrounding provinces ... And here he, hot and strong, hugs her, and for some reason, she is not at all scared ... Lee leaned back on the pillows, closed his eyes. Images of distant youth floated before him as if it had been yesterday. - Our affairs were getting worse ... I got hired as a farm labourer for a neighbour’s landowner, the family was well-off - we were no match, the peasants were not worth a penny ... They paid little, and one day I abandoned everything and moved to Xianyang to seek happiness ... Here he settled down as an assistant to a blacksmith in the army of the local governor, at the same time studied military affairs in his spare time. They say that I had no equal in archery in the provinces, ”he said with a boastful note in his voice; Gaoshi quietly laughed. - Why didn’t you the warriors? - Honestly? - the girl nodded in the dark. Lee shrugged. - Friends knocked off the panty, wine there, girls ... City life ... The whole district was afraid of us, and we were so reckless. But one day, I met Mei Ling, my future wife, and I realized that it was time to start with such a life. Everything was set correctly for her: the house, the household, the husband was fed, the children were expected here ...

The work with the army brought little money, so I got a job as a courier at the post station. Life got better ... Then the news flew in from the village that my father had died, and someone had to get on the farm until the cunning relatives took away everything by grain ... We returned to Michzhi, I quickly found a job at home, became a blacksmith, the benefit of experience I had full. They lived quite well; orders often began to come from neighbouring villages, I went there to earn extra money ... On one of these trips, this trouble came. Half the way, my horse twisted its leg, but it was so unfortunate that I had to return ... May all leaned towards him in exciting anticipation, one of the biggest secrets of this mysterious man was about to be revealed ... - I was not expected at home. My wife May, in my absence, gratified the neighbour’s ego, the son of a landowner, from the same Ai family, where I once grazed sheep ... When I appeared, this bastard, as he was without pants, dived out the window, on a horse - and home! Camp of the Western Army. Hong Cheng-chou stood on the hill and watched the fires of his army. The icy wind ruffled his hair, climbed under a warm robe, tried to open its floors towards the cold autumn air. An outstanding commander, a brilliant strategist and a born tactician, Hong Cheng-chou did not lose a single battle before that unfortunate battle in the gorge ...

And everything was so well thought out! This Chuan prince resignedly walked into the trap set for him, only a few minutes remained - and that’s it, a mouse in a mousetrap, but no, by some miracle, the advanced scouts of this devil of the rogue Li Zicheng managed to find the troops on the ! And everything turned out exactly the opposite: after five hours of the hardest battle, the army of Hong Cheng-chou had to flee in order not to be surrounded ... Shame on the commander of the Army of the West ... He was waiting with a point for an answer to his report from Capital Cities. And he assumed the worst in him, right up to the order for his arrest. In the army, there were terrible rumours about how the young Emperor was raging, evil tongues at each new news from the main city of the Celestial Empire read the heads that flew from the shoulders.

It’s not even now about how to somehow rectify the situation, it’s time to attend to save your head. What could he do against the force that opposes him? He fought as much as he could, then, apparently, Fate itself blocked his path. So, one way out is a silk lace, but what will become of his loved ones, all the power of the imperial wrath will fall on them! No, think and think again ... Silent footsteps were heard from behind. Someone approached and stood behind his right shoulder. Hong Cheng-chou grinned sadly. - Is that you, old friend? Zu Dashou, his right hand, a constant companion in all military companies, chilly wrapped in warm clothes, came closer. - Yes, Hun, you can’t sleep either ... What do you think will happen to us now? The commander-in-chief shrugged his shoulders: - Everything is the will of the Emperor, you know .

“That’s what scares me,” the old soldier chuckled. - This brat does not do not give a penny to past merits and military leadership talents. He lives on the slander of the court eunuchs ... “That’s whom I would hang with special pleasure,” muttered the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Army. - With my own hands, I would twist their sleek fat necks ... An ulcer on the body of the Empire. Parasites that have penetrated all the cracks of the Forbidden City. “The Emperor doesn’t think so,” Zu Dashou muttered vaguely. Hong Cheng-chou glanced over his shoulder at him. - After the latest events, I don’t give a damn about what this brat thinks ... I hear rumours about what is happening in the

Capital. Afraid that returning there is contraindicated for me. “I suppose it’s for me, too,” sighed Zu Dashou. - I don’t know about you, but I took care of my loved ones and sent them far away, to the East ... - To your nephew? “Well, not directly ... But Wu Sangui will look after them. - How is he? - Too young, hot ... But at thirty to command one from the strongest armies of the Celestial Empire a certain achievement. You and I were so unlucky. “Different times, different policies,” Hung Cheng-chou muttered. - Although the policy is always the same: away from the authorities, closer to the army.

So, you’ve already hidden your family, you say? Truly so, - Zu Dashou nodded. Cheng-chou laughed. - So, now no one will prevent us from relaxing in the company of truly pleasant ladies. Then one dancer appeared to me ... Kiu, a gentle little “autumn” ... I will ask her to invite a decent margin for you. There will be a glorious evening that will allow us to warm up and while away the time in an elegant company for a soulful conversation. Gao Yingxiang’s camp Gao Yingxiang chilly wrapped himself in a bearskin, warming his hands by the small hearth. Opposite him, in respectful silence, the leaders of the uprising - Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, Cao Cao, Big Red Wolf, the Star Filling the Sky, Li Guo and others - froze. The Chuan prince sensed with an animal instinct that a split was ripening in the army, until recently, monolithic as a rock, and the reason for this was the confrontation between the two greatest leaders, the commanders of his largest armies, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. These two, either in public or separately, did not show the appearance that they were deeply unpleasant to each other. So unpleasant that from simple enmity to animal hatred for both one step. They unconditionally obeyed the Chuan prince, carrying out all his orders, were fearless in battle. Their soldiers were loyal to their commanders both in body and Spirit. But even now, when everyone, as one, ed his plan of marching to the East, to Fengyang - the Middle Capital of the Celestial Empire, there was tension in the air, as if before a thunderstorm.

Gao Yingxiang raised his head, looked around the attentive faces of those present with a heavy look. Deafly he threw: - If no one has any questions, then here is my order: we will speak tomorrow. Do not take convoys. In the vanguard is Zhang Xianzhong’s army; the rest cover the flanks. Li Zicheng, the rear and reconnaissance are behind you. Command an army ... He stared at the fire again,

but his gaze did not escape the superiority with which Zhang Xianzhong, the Yellow Tiger, the Eighth Grand Duke, looked towards Zicheng.

But he seemed not to be interested, and he was discussing something with his nephew Li Guo; both were so carried away by the conversation that they did not even leave the tent right away. And only when the last leader pulled the canopy of the commander’s tent behind him, Li Zicheng suddenly abruptly interrupted the conversation and, getting up, approached the Chuan prince. “Gao, I don’t understand why you honoured Xianzhong to lead the army?” Is the Yellow Tiger more than me worthy of the honour of being the first to enter the Middle Capital? Insyan smiled sadly and adjusted the cape on his shoulders. These scoundrels have taken Fengyang! The city, the Middle Capital of the Minsk Empire, the cemetery of the founders of the dynasty and its ancestors! They burned after looting the mausoleum! The imperial treasury fell into the hands of bandits and murderers ... But this is not the chief thing! This bunch of thieves and murderers defiled the memory of his ancestors! Unheard of blasphemy in the Celestial Empire! They raised their hand to the sacred, the symbols of the imperial power in the country. This means that they will not stop at anything... Dressed in mourning clothes, swallowing tears of sorrow, the Emperor threw Invite Wang Yui to me, I will dictate my will ... He did not look around, because he knew that somewhere out there, behind the folds of the curtains along the walls of the office, the sensitive ears of the courtiers had already caught his quiet order, light-footed messengers had already rushed along the corridors of the palace, looking for his secretary. Wang Yui appeared in the Emperor’s office just a few minutes later, bent down in court bow exactly as much as it should be for his rank, and obsequiously stared at the Lord of the Celestial Empire.

“ I dictate the will of Heaven, ‘’ Yujian threw, without turning around, looking out the window with wet eyes at the Beautiful View Mountain ...

Camp of the Western Army.

Hong Cheng-chou checked once again the attachment of the packs on the back of the clockwork horse, slapped it on the strong rump. He turned to Zu Dashou an old friend and associate were motionless, but in his posture, the general saw only understanding and sympathy, no blame for what had happened. In the end, they did everything they could ... No matter how they thought there, in the Capital, the plan of “Master Cho” was a success. Although the army of the Chuan prince captured Fengyang, it could hardly be called a victory. To begin with, as predicted by “Master Cho,” Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong finally fell apart, and the Yellow Tiger with his army left Gao Yingxiang. And the blame for everything was a minor conflict between these two proud men: Zicheng demanded that the Eighth Grand Duke give him the little eunuch captured at the Ming Mausoleum, who beat the drum perfectly. Zhang Xianzhong, naturally, refused, and - in the harshest and impartial form. Li Zicheng flew into a rage and declared to the Chuang Prince that he refused to stay in the same camp with “this bastard.”

But Insyan’s wisdom won: he invited his generals to disperse to the tents and think carefully about how they were going to continue to fight shoulder to shoulder ... they parted.

And they thought. The next morning, the Yellow Tiger army, taking their share of the treasures looted in Fengyang, left the location of the rebel army and headed south to the Yangtze Valley. It would seem that success, a split in the ranks of the rebels, was introduced, and then there was the Emperor’s decree on amnesty and food aid to those who refuse to fight on the side of the rebels. Not very timely, it would have been a year or two earlier ... You look, and Fengyang would have been intact ... But Hong Cheng-chou had no doubts that many would leave the Chuan Army. And now he fled to the North, to the incomprehensible and always hostile Jurchens, to save his life. In the same decree of Yujiang, the generals were unambiguously ordered to seize and send to the Capital for a speedy and fair trial those guilty of surrendering Fengyang and plundering the Ming Dynasty Mausoleum. And Hong Cheng-chou had no doubts that yesterday’s colleagues would hang all the dogs on him in the best traditions of the Minsk army. He knew his surroundings too well. Zu Dashou handed him a medallion with incomprehensible Jurchen letters.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

The Son of Heaven, Emperor Yujian, marched to the Tax Chamber, where the envoy from Gansu Province, Dao Zongxi, awaited him with a report. The Emperor expected good news because it was not for nothing that recently his entourage, who had ears in the advanced units of the Western army, talked about a split among the rebels and about thousands of peasants returning to their villages after the decree on the pardon and imperial aid to those affected by the drought. To be honest, he would not single out a single tribute of rice to these traitors, even if they continue to die of hunger, but then suddenly the positions of the eunuchs-advisers and clever people from Dunlin came together, and they and others insisted on the need for such a political step ... he had to agree. And now he was waiting for news from Tao Zongxi, caressing his imperial ear. And they followed. The dignitary, constantly bowing and choking with delight, vividly wrote that taxes had flowed into the treasury, that peasant farms revived again, and their owners themselves sing praise to the Son of Heaven and the Savior of the Celestial Empire in all taverns. Military operations in his province declined, some detachments are defeated by the regular army, and this “demon in the flesh” Li Zicheng does not seem to be in Gansu. The Emperor nodded, and he thought his daughter was growing up in some burning country, and this is wrong ... He is constantly distracted from his family, concubines, some pleasant things like playing mahjong with childhood friends, close to their court, to solve military problems ... Not about such a reign he once dreamed of, not such a power he saw in his childhood dreams. The official was already completing his report, the Emperor was listening to him half-heartedly, when a breathless dignitary ran into the Chamber for ceremonies, knelt on the move and stood still, waiting for the Emperor’s word. Yujian felt his heart suddenly sore painfully ...

Chapter 9

Shaanxi Province. The camp of the rebel army.

Luo Yang was badly ill. The first quarter of the month, he met in bed, in a temporary camp which the army of the Chuan prince defeated in the north of Henan province, near to the town of Libao. The old man was reclining on a bearskin brought to him on this occasion by Li Zicheng and, according to his eternal habit, complained about life. His student listened to his mentor with respectful attention, which, however, from time to time was replaced by a slightly kind smile. “You took advantage of the situation, boy, when your mentor could not control you and made unreasonably tough decisions,” Lo muttered, shaking his head. - Why did you publicly whip that warrior from the Van Mantis Talking to the Ancestors? What did this young man do to you? - Teacher, he tried to give me a woman captured by force, the wife of a governor from a neighbouring town. - And what did you do? - You know, teacher, that I am against robbery in any form ... But I have been fighting all my life against the oppression of ordinary man and the humiliation of my people - And what did you do? I hope you didn’t decapitate a comrade-in-arms for being too loyal? Li Zicheng smiled and adjusted the veil on the old man’s chest. - Don’t be afraid; he’s alive. I presented him with gold from our treasury, and I returned the woman to her husband. And he released both of them. Lately, unnecessary deaths have sickened me. The sage nodded approvingly and closed his eyes. I’m leaving, Lee ... It’s time for you to become independent; you are already wise enough, what else can the old philosopher give you in this life? Dustcovered quotes from the greats? Or advice in matters in which you have recently understood much more than mine?

Camp of the Western Army.

Zu Dashou woke up feeling that someone was in his tent. He squinted his eyes at the sleeping beauty ... Kiu was asleep serenely, breathing was even. They scattered her hair over the silk of the pillows. The general sat down flexibly on the bed, pulled the scabbard with the sword to him. The habit took its toll; the body trained over the years of campaigns and fights did not betray its owner with a single careless movement; the eyes remained closed as before. Still, it was impossible to make out anything in the darkness of the night tent. But the old warrior did not need this: he felt the movement of air in an enclosed space with his skin, produced by the body of a stranger. A subtle movement, but an experienced warrior still smelled it ...

“I didn’t come to kill,” the whisper of “Master Cho” sounded like thunder in the echoing silence of the night. Zu Dashou froze. Now the commander’s eyes, accustomed to the darkness, could discern the vague silhouette of the “spy of life” against the background of the tent wall, illuminated from outside by the fires of the guards. - They are going to move to the Capital, - without a pause, the night guest continued to greet the noble owner of the tent. - And in a couple of weeks, they will be several hundred from here. Zu Dashou, in one sliding motion, sat down on the bed, threw on his robe, shook himself, chasing away the remnants of sleep. He glanced sideways at the night guest. - How did they decide? After Zhang Xianzhong left, they have little strength ... The spy shrugged. - And they have nothing else to do ... The departure of the Yellow Tiger stirred the minds of many ... Do not forget that the “Chuan Army” is, in fact, just a collection of individual gangs, because of a misunderstanding or some other, unknown to us, the whims of Heaven gathered at the same time in one place. Each of their leaders is full of his ambitions, set for his personal goals in this war, which often differ greatly from the interests of others, and even more so from the goals of the Chuan prince. They say that his son-in-law, Li Zicheng, a cunning beast, tries to dissuade him from the campaign, but he is unlikely to succeed.

Why not? As I have heard, Gao Yingxiang is very loyal to Zicheng’s thoughts and ideas. And he s the latter in everything. “But not in this case. His army today only miraculously did not run away. The Emperor’s latest decrees have given too many rooms for thought. Still, there are much more peasants in

these troops than regular robbers; they constantly look in the direction of home, out of habit, they wait for sowing or harvesting. And they dream of the day when they return to their families. After the offer of amnesty, generous gifts to those who refuse to continue the war ... Their interests are mundane, far from big politics. Following, they are just waiting for an excuse to scatter home. And you, my lord, can decapitate the main snake of this uprising with one blow ... Right now, when there are so many people around Gao Yingxiang who wish for his downfall and even death. Outskirts of Zhouzhi, Shaanxi Province. Gao Yingxiang’s army. Gao Yingxiang went to this town, taking half of the army by the arm, the rest remained under the command of Li Zicheng and Li Guo, they were to take Shanyang on the border with Henan province, where, according to the spies, large reserves of food were accumulated, collected for the imperial army ... Zhouzhi, an inconspicuous town, the centre of the local district, attracted Gao Yingxiang with the opportunity to seize a train with valuables collected by a local dignitary as a tax to the imperial treasury. For a year, the viceroy’s warriors robbed local merchants and artisans, collecting taxes, and now, at the very beginning of the month of the Dragon, a line of carts under a reinforced escort was to move towards the Capital. But what does even a reinforced convoy mean for battle-hardened Chuan warriors! So, for one tooth ... Li Zicheng discouraged him from this undertaking. Even Gaoshi had a hand, but it was too tempting to be back on horseback and with wealth! And then his military leaders are already looking to the side with their troops. It’s time to throw them a fat bone, and such a fat jackpot could improve not only the political situation in the army but also suppress all those conversations that are conducted secretly at night in the tents of the soldiers ... Unpleasant, frankly, conversations... Dirty... From here, from the top of the hill, the town was in full view. The frail city fortifications will not withstand even the first blow, and there will be no need to resort to the help of engineers and build siege fortifications. Most likely. It all comes down to negotiations and voluntary truth. Prince, the attack is coming! - Can not be... Gao Yingxiang raised himself in the saddle, peered in the direction Where Qing pointed. And in the next instant, cold sweat rolled down his spine: from behind the distant copse, the imperial cavalry rushed swiftly, turning into attacking formations! But how? Where from ?! There was no time for reflection. - Qing, take your warriors and stop the attack, even if you have to use all the fighters with firearms! The rest to deploy troops to battle! - But there are at least one hundred thousand of them, and we have seventy at the most! - pitifully bleated someone from the environment. Gao Yingxiang smiled bitterly: The attack of the Zu Dashou army was like an ocean wave hitting a clay slope: the army of the Chuan prince, which had not yet had time to fully deploy into organized battle

formations, was first crushed, and then retreated under the onslaught of superior enemy forces. The soldiers fought to the death, realizing that there would be no mercy in case of captivity.

Their superiority and scattered demoralized the Cavalry of the Shattering Hammer, barely touching the first ranks of the attackers, and immediately set off on the run ... Best of all worked the pikemen, who took positions at the foot of the commander’s hill. The excellent training of Li Zicheng, who devoted the greatest importance to the training of this unit of the Chuan army, affected. And who else could stop the attack of the cavalry, which was the major force of the imperial army? But the forces were too unequal! In the very first moments of the battle, they strung two or even three attacking horses or riders on the peaks of the defenders - the rear ones pressed on the front ones, unable to slow down immediately in front of a solid wall of spears! And the pikes immediately became useless and were thrown to the ground, and the attackers kept pushing and pushing ... Muskets with hand-arms were just as useless: after the first volley to reload and the second shot, the defenders simply did not have time, they had to throw their weapons to the ground and drag their swords from their scabbards. And here, the numerical superiority played a major role. And so was the training of the imperial soldiers. A quarter of an hour after the start of the attack on the field, a uniform massacre unfolded in front of Zhouzhi, aggravated because the army of the Chuan prince was sandwiched between the attackers and the city, the garrison of which, albeit small, but, meanwhile, reinforced by reinforcements arrived in advance, turned out to be constipation that blocked the peasant army’s escape routes to the west and north, towards the mountains ...

The trap, perfectly prepared by the strategists Zu Dashou, was shut down! The Chuan army was surrounded. Gao Yingxiang fought like everyone else. He understood now that this was an ambush, and he stupidly fell into it, although Li Zicheng tried to dissuade him from this campaign in every way.

But there was no time to repent, the enemies piled up in a crowd, and all that remained was to rely on their skills and luck, which, it seems, turned away from

him. The Chuan prince felt something painfully slashed on his right shoulder, he fought back at random, a cry of pain was heard, and the rider on the right, dressed in the colours of the Emperor, fell from his horse with a crushed collarbone ... Devil, we hit again ... Armor had already been torn apart by many blows and gave almost no protection; the sword was serrated along its entire length, already the third - the first two just broke long ago when repelling the blows. Insyan Shalo looked around: a battle was raging everywhere, where his warriors, one to one, or even one against two or three opponents, tried to prevent the enemies from approaching their prince ... But the situation was no way out. A tremendous battle was raging around, and it predetermined its outcome ... The attackers possessed too great an advantage ... It was time to think about a competent retreat, but what is there - retreat - flight! Gao Yingxiang, repelling the blow of another attacker and piercing his peritoneum with a long lunge, for a second distracted himself from the battle, looking for at least one of his closest assistants with his eyes ... I saw the Seven Dragons Qing, who brought down the riders attacking him with some crazy ion. .. Gao even noted that the young killer even seemed to be not very wounded ... And he waved his hand, not hoping for help ... Li Zicheng bathed his horse in a clear forest stream. Behind there was a long march, a couple of skirmishes with scattered enemy units, which, fortunately, ended with the flight of the latter. There were few Imperial troops and even patrols on the way of his troops. The feeling was that all the detachments were pulled somewhere to the north, and from this, the whole campaign turned into a continuous hunt for ghosts. But the army did not lose vigilance, although Zicheng’s soul was restless. Having received a message from his spy in the enemy camp that the Western army was preparing to march, he prudently at the beginning of this campaign sent Gaoshi to his Lair from further sin.

Taught by the experience of the long war and his entire, albeit short, life, he understood, if not with an animal instinct, that the departure of Zhang Xianzhong with the army was only the beginning of a string of betrayals. The Chuan army was too heterogeneous for formation, not welded together by one common goal. The peasants wanted land and a peaceful life with their entire family in a small house in the quiet middle. Former robbers dreamed of immediate prey and richer. And what were the leaders of the uprising themselves thinking? Heaven alone knows. Yes, Buddha, perhaps, if anyone believes in him. They fought for several years. There were victories and defeats, but they always, in fact,

trampled on a relatively small piece of land, a grain of sand in the vastness of the Celestial Empire. Under the leadership of the leaders, there were armies comparable to the armies of other countries, the same Korea or the Jurchen empire. And as a result, in the fall, most of the “warriors” remained simple farmers, scattered to their allotments, hoping to collect at least crumbs of the remaining harvest. This went on year after year, but something suggested that a moment of turning point was coming, the last choice, followed by either victory or emptiness. The army is exhausted by campaigns and hardships, and this endless war without a goal is already bored with everything. Home, family, views of the harvest - these are the topics of most of the conversations of soldiers around the evening bonfires.

And he, did he think about what exactly he can offer these people to arouse the excitement of the conquerors and throw them on a campaign against the Capital, to overthrow the hated power of the Emperor? Alas, there are more questions than answers here ... Bushes crackled at the far end of the clearing, and a rider flew into the open space on a lathered horse. He was a former blacksmith and now the commander of his personal hundred, Liu Zongmin, who recently patrolled the distant neighbourhoods of his army camp. None other than the Qing Seven Dragons, one commander of Gao Yingxiang, was whipping his horse with weep behind him. Zicheng tossed the bunch of grass that he had scraped the horse’s withers aside and reached for the sling with the sword. My heart sank painfully. At some point, Li thought he heard the words that Qing, “the messenger of Death,” was about to utter Zicheng did not doubt it.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace. Prison.

The Emperor, disgustedly covering his nose with a silk handkerchief, contemptuously looked at the mountain of bloody meat that was once a man and his subjects. And - and his most sworn enemy. Gao Yingxiang was brought to the palace prison of the Capital a quarter of the moon ago, during which time a friendly team of torture specialists and executioners worked on the leader of the rebels with all diligence and diligence. They tried to find out from the “old

leader” exactly where the main forces of the rebels are quartered, where stocks of the stolen gold are stored, but they overdid it a little: their precious trophy quickly fell out of reality from pain and only bellowed something incomprehensible in reply. The best specialists of the Emperor applied their skills in vain: the Chuan prince was silent or growled in pain but did not answer any of their questions. And now Yujian had to decide what to do with him next. On the one hand, it was possible to show mercy and let him go to all four sides; this would increase the popularity of the imperial power among the people, although, what do the people care about the defeated idol? The metropolitan nobility would not have understood such a merciful step; too many endured fear, hearing only the name of this self-styled “prince”.

Besides, the courtiers missed the spectacle; why not pamper them with some kind of public execution? Everything works out somehow, Yujian thought, they say that it is difficult to grab two eels with two hands, but maybe this is just the case now? Once again, looking sideways at something stretched out in front of him, the Emperor threw over his shoulder to the scribe: - Yujian says: publicly execute the rebel on the square in front of the Forbidden City, execute the rest of the prisoners there. Exhaling, the Emperor looked out of the corner of his eye at the elderly man, who was standing a little further away. His lips pursed, he looked down, not daring to contradict his pupil. Once in the throne room, Yujian once again carefully looked at the old man who entered after. - Are you unhappy with my choice again? - Can I be dissatisfied with the will of the Emperor himself? - hunched his back in a low bow, the former mentor and teacher continued cautiously, - but is it worth shedding such an amount of blood in the major city and won’t this blood flood ourselves? The Young Emperor pursed his lips in displeasure and turned away.

The anticipation of great trouble had not left him for a long time, and it was with this decision that he was going to wash the doubts out of his head. The elder repeatedly onished his grown, and a strengthened student asked him to negotiate with the peasant army, study diplomacy, and not forget about the external threat, which is becoming more obvious from day today. But in the palace, it awarded the attention of the Emperor not only to the old mentor but also to the Chief Eunuch, who inspired him the opposite ... It decided; Yujian did

not want to regret what was said and listen to the menacing prophecies. Having picked up the flaps of his yellow clothes, the Emperor went to the chambers of his beloved wife: it was time to play with his daughter, the child does not see his father at all these court affairs ... And three sons from secondary marriages should be pampered with their attention: someone of them will become his successor on the “dragon throne”. And he smiled kindly at these thoughts.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Forbidden City. Imperial Palace.

Outside the windows of the palace was autumn, which painted the palace parks with crimson and gold. Through the vast halls piercing drafts walked, the attendants saved coal for the braziers heating them. The Emperor of a great country was lost in thought. He ceased to understand the essence of what was happening around him, and this worried him. He followed the lead of the nobility and executed this filthy rebel Gao Yingxiang, so what? One might think that the dignified fat bags treated him more respectfully? No matter how it is! They have more reverence for the palace eunuchs than for him! Because they, like filth, corroding metal or a human body, have penetrated all corners of the state machine and with pleasure turn it with wheels and screws! And the Emperor turns out to be something like a disguised doll on his throne. No, he may still execute and pardon, to issue decrees and cancel them, but the reins of the state chariot were already intercepted by someone else. To follow the lead of these talkers - now, after so many years, he knew about it - from Donglin and finally put the country on the brink of political and military collapse?

Or obey the eunuchs and wage this never-ending war with your people? And then the Jurchens are striving to chop off a piece from his Empire! Well, with these, everything is clear, they will never miss their own; the worse it is in China, the better it is for them. It’s good that none of the rebels had enough sense to come to with them; even that alliance would have turned out! Then for sure, even in a loop ... The daughter is growing up, and what will he leave her as a legacy? Was a country torn apart by peasant riots? An ulcer of northern barbarians, ready to grab the throat at any moment? Pirates in the South Seas,

devouring ports and ships with supplies from Portugal and the country of Nippon? All this will have to be dealt with in the coming years. Otherwise, this country will collapse into the abyss of Chaos, from where there is no return. Yujian glanced at his reflection in the pool water ... How old he is! He’s only about thirty and looks like a shabby beggar from port taverns! Bags under the eyes, early wrinkles on the forehead which even a layer of rice powder and blush cannot hide? How he let himself go! And all the fault is the betrayal of the courtiers, who are ready to sell their souls to the swamp demons for a post at the palace or a handful of coins! You can’t rely on anyone. Everyone hides a vile dagger behind the lapel of a robe, and they smile flatteringly in their eyes.

Chapter 10

It was the month of the Horse. Li Zicheng was sitting on the bank of a narrow river, slowly carrying its clear forest waters somewhere to the East, to the great and full-flowing Yellow River. The water gurgled at his feet, turned into small whirlpools, in which last year’s leaves swirled, washed away from the shore. Occasionally, a small fish would rise to the very surface and, grabbing some grape water strider or other light prey, disappeared with a slight splash in the depths. Here, in the South of Shaanxi, the new Chuan prince set up his camp with a small army now, after the death of Gao Yingxiang and the departure of several leaders, dissatisfied with his election, with an army. Summer of the Year of the Cow was not set from the very beginning. The imperial decree on pardoning voluntarily surrendered rebels, though seemingly imperceptibly, did its job. And one by one, they left. At first, one by one, and then, when the army was doomed and no one would pursue such a strange “desertion,” they fled in dozens. Home, in their counties, to relatives and friends, to such usual hard peasant labour. When this was discovered, the Chuan prince Li Zicheng tried to persuade his comrades-in-arms to stay, but it was useless. They listened to him attentively, nodded in agreement, even said something in his . And the next morning, the army was missing several dozen more soldiers. And Li gave up on everything. Other day Li had a dream, as he met an old lady, and they had a conversation. She said she is the future Emperor without an eye.

The camp of the Rebel army.

The philosopher Luo Yang was reclining on pillows in his tent, kindly provided to him by a disciple next to his headquarters. More precisely, he got this tent not so much through the efforts and courtesy of his beloved pupil, as through the efforts of Gao Yingxiang’s former first concubine, the pure beauty, the very one he saved from an ambush in the Chexiang Gorge. Since then, their relationship has become increasingly warmer, while the late Chuan prince, after the shock he

experienced in that battle, grew colder and colder towards his concubines and spent more and more time in the family, with his beloved wife. Baozhei turned out to be not just a woman who was experienced in bed and experienced in housekeeping but also an intelligent student, ready to listen to the old man’s philosophical parables seemingly endlessly. It is unclear whether she was so skilfully pretending or whether she liked these ancient cautionary tales, but Master Luo was delighted. Goshi once whispered in Zicheng’s ear that the beauty is probably simply afraid of being left without a patron, and she alone will not survive in this changeable and cruel world. Li then agreed with his wife, but both old Yang and the thirty-year-old Baozhei flower were quite happy with each other and judging by the gossip that the night guards on duty near to their tent were carrying, the old man was quite sophisticated not only in philosophy the ionate, albeit muffled by the canopy, the cries of Baozhei disturbed not only the ear but the nature of the harsh warriors. Li entered the philosopher’s tent when Baozhei was whispering something in his ear, and the overwhelmed master listened to her in a state of complete prostration. Noticing the newcomer, Baozhei immediately meekly recoiled from her man and, looking down, straightened the lilac robe on her chest. Zicheng chuckled, once again appreciating the choice of the late Yingxiang and his mentor: the concubine was gorgeous. Camp of the Western Army. Zu Dashou closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Everything that the commanders of the units entrusted to him had just reported to him finally formed a single picture. And he liked this picture. The scouts, who were constantly whirling around the army, this newly emerged “Chuan prince”, reported that he was neither dreaming nor spiritually aware of an attack on his location but, on the contrary, was preparing with all diligence to move to the winter in Henan province. This is quite understandable: it is unreasonable to move to the north of Shaanxi - mountains, rare villages. Where can such a crowd be fed there? Another thing is Henan, which practically did not suffer from hostilities, there it is quite possible to find shelter and provisions. Li Zicheng is not going to the South, in Sichuan, the defeat of the Yellow Tiger and its vast army is still too ed by everyone; hardly anyone soon will dare to oppose the Dashaw army in the open field. Also, many rebel commanders have already dispersed in all directions, and the rest are openly looking to the side. Whatever one may say, the revolt is subsiding; it remains only to skim the cream off this situation, and, you will not have to, like the loser Hong Chengchou, seek salvation in the North, among these barbarians ... Zu Dashou spread out maps in front of him with the location of the rebel troops and his own. No matter how you look, it turned out that Li Zicheng had no other way to the East except through the Tongguan mountain . And this means that the hour of the

decisive battle is approaching, and may Heaven help relieve the Celestial Empire from this ulcer on her body! Dashaw snapped his fingers. The eunuch-messenger who appeared immediately appeared on the threshold of the tent and bowed deeply. - Prepare my marching wagon train and the order to the army: we will set out tomorrow at dawn. The eunuch bowed again and seemed to disappear behind the curtain. Zu Dashou closed his eyelids. Ahead was a great battle, perhaps the main one in his life and certainly in his career. Behind a thin curtain separating the working space of the tent from the personal quarters of the commander of the Western Army, the regiment’s concubine, the dancer Kiu, bit her lip until she bled, realizing that she had no time to warn the Chuan prince and mortal danger. Even if she starts her way to Li Zicheng’s camp right now, she had only to wait for the rebel army.

Tongguan area.

Late autumn weather did not please. Sharp gusts of wind threw lumps of snow into the faces of the soldiers, tearing the unprotected skin of the face and hands on the frozen paths of the foothills of the Qinling Ridge. And Li Zicheng was once again glad that he had sent Gaoshi and old Yang with his beloved Baozhei to the Lair and did not drag him to this age. Even such a large army would have been difficult for the enemy to track in such a drizzle, and the rebels would not have enough strength to fight in the open now; too many leaders with their gangs left the army. It would be suicide to stay in Shaanxi any longer. First, there was nothing to feed the army, and second, the scouts reported that not only the imperial army but also a few squads of local princelings were preparing to attack the weakened army of the Chuan prince with all their might. Rumours that the treasures of the imperial mausoleum were wandering somewhere nearby excited the minds of anyone who had at least a thousand soldiers at hand. Yes, and their own “associates” no, no, and whispered behind their backs. Did they think that something would escape the attentive gaze of their prince? So they were very wrong: during the war years, Zicheng managed, with the help of Yang and his assistants, to create not only a powerful network of spies in the enemy camp but also an equally effective system of informants among those close to him. And now Lee knew at any moment what was happening in every thousand of his troops. And while it saved him from dangerous surprises. The transition went

well; they were preparing for it all summer when the horses were wrapped in leather bags to protect them from injury on the mountain slopes, the warriors took care of warm clothes in advance, most of the leaders left the carts in Shaanxi, in secret places known only one of them. And the treasury of the Mausoleum, or rather, what was left of it after the division with the departed Zhang Xianzhong and his henchmen, was transported ahead of time with the faithful people to the Lair. Something told Zicheng that she would still play a part in this war. Gradually, the army approached the only corridor in these places in the rocky ridge - the Tongguan .

Zicheng understood perfectly well that the enemy did not need to look for a better position for an ambush, but he hoped that the pace at which his army was moving was beyond the strength of the Emperor’s army, burdened with convoys and sapper units. He could not have known that Dashaw, who had also calculated everything, had long abandoned the carts and all non-combat units of the army and was at least a day or two ahead of him, and he had enough time. ... When a waterfall of arrows and volleys of muskets fell on the army from the nearest rocks, Li Zicheng realized that this was the end! Nearby, warriors fell from their saddles, screams of pain and rage were heard, someone tried to open return fire from muskets and hand-held arms, but at such a distance it was impossible to hit accurately, and it was no longer possible to reload the bulky weapon under precisely calibrated volleys of enemy crossbows time. Somehow, hiding behind shields, the rebels pressed against the walls of the gorge to be out of the zone of destruction of enemy shooters, but this did not work out well: the enemy had time to take an ideal position, shelling was fired from both walls at once, each archer or shooter from a musket or handhelds saw the column and had time to carefully aim. And, he remained out of the reach of enemy volleys. In the very first minutes of the battle, they killed many horsemen, good in open combat with their speed and mass, but completely defenceless when attacked from an ambush in the narrow gorge. Li Zicheng furiously twisted the Horse in place, trying to capture the complete picture of the beating with his eyes, but could distinguish nothing about it! Nearby now and then soldiers fell from the saddles, pierced by one, or even several arrows at once, swordsmen tried to hide with shields, at such a small distance wooden, leather-covered shields were useless against crossbow bolts piercing them like a sheet of boom- gi, and warriors piercing the bodies.

Over the Chuan army hung a continuous howl and a groan of pain, Lee repelled the flying arrows with a sword twice, but soon a stray bullet fired from a musket from somewhere above hit the chest of his Horse, which wheezed and fell to its front knees, throwing the rider under the feet of a maddened mass of mounted and foot soldiers. Excellent skill and experience affected, Lee rolled head over heels to the side, with a swift jerk rose to his feet, threw up a shield which miraculously reflected a couple of arrows, looked wildly around ... But before he had time to catch his breath, a hand grabbed him by the collar and, with a jerk, threw him on the Horse’s rump behind the rider. He looked around, and Li recognized the loyal Liu Zongmin, one of his commanders.

Unlike Zicheng, Zongmin did not send his family to the North but dragged both wives with him, which caused a bitter argument between them at one time ... And now Zongmin had something to lose in this gorge beside his life! But they warned him ... They also broke through the second line of defence, demolished the barriers of the third line while losing another dozen fighters and putting a solid detachment of imperial horsemen on their tail. They were driven further and further into the mountains, and there was no way to break through down to the other side of the ridge without a big fight. Provisions were running out. Clothes were torn to shreds. Everyone was utterly exhausted when an event occurred that radically changed not only the history of this war but also the history of the Celestial Empire as a whole. True, none of the participants in those events then guessed about it. It happened on the sixth day of a hectic flight along mountain paths ... He grabbed the sword comfortably and walked out of the idol with a wide step. Before he stood all of his small armies: fifty horsemen and swordsmen, aside from a handful of Liu Zongmin’s wives and their maids stood. Lee looked around everyone, reading only desperate hope in the eyes of those close to him. He smiled sparingly and said briefly: - I will be the Emperor. Who will follow me? All, as one, stepped towards him, knelt. Zongmin, looking into his eyes, said: - You were right when you tried to dissuade me, prince, but I committed foolishness by taking my wives with me. They are sick, and their ailments do not allow us to move fast enough. But now I’m with you to the end. And if I die, then let the enemy not get anything of what I own ... He drew his sword and, going up to the wives, struck their hearts with quick movements, the poor women did not even have time to get scared, everything happened so

swiftly. The maids fell to their knees, raising their hands in supplication, but Zongmin had already sheathed the sword, having previously wiped it on the hem of the robes of one of the defeated wives: - Go away. Your fate is indifferent to me. He approached and stood next to the Chuan prince, who had not yet recovered from everything he had just seen: - I’m ready, lead us ... Zicheng nodded briefly in response and jumped into the saddle of one dead woman who had brought him down. - Attack!!!!! He said shortly.

Sichuan Province. Zhang Xianzhong’s Yellow Tiger Camp.

In the coming winter of the Year of the Tiger, Zhang Xianzhong experienced so many hardships that had not accompanied him from the moment he entered the path of resistance. One by one, his companions left him, his army suffered defeats from the Western army, gradually losing the captured territory and helpful strategic positions. There was also trouble with the supply of the army. The damned Dashaw cut off all the food supply channels, and now his fighters had to switch to a meagre dry diet, or even cut their horses occasionally. There was still a dull murmur in the army, but it was not long before an open revolt to finish fighting. I had to urgently do something. Therefore, before the onset of the thaw, Xianzhong transferred the army to a state of siege, and the defence always takes fewer forces than the attack. The Western army, although it had won a resounding victory over Li Zicheng, was significantly drained of blood by the battles and could not immediately defeat his almost one hundred thousandpowerful groups; Zhang Xianzhong understood this perfectly. But now spring has come and with it new painful thoughts. On one day of the second quarter of the month of Rabbit, the Yellow Tiger gathered his loyal friends and associates and openly asked them what to do next? Everyone understood the situation perfectly. They will not survive an open battle with the Western army, and the forces are too unequal. Also, because of the decree of the Emperor, the peasants regarded the rebel warriors not as liberators and guardians of their cause but as a natural disaster that cannot be dealt with but which is worth fearing. The rebels did not have to wait for help from the local population. And this meant, at least, an imminent famine and unambiguously surrender. From all sides, it came out badly, and of two evils it was worth choosing the lesser: death in battle or shameful captivity. And no one knows what else is worse ...

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Forbidden City. Emperor’s Palace.

The Son of Heaven, the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, burst out laughing: Yes, he is not a Yellow Tiger, but a Sly Fox, how he calculated everything perfectly! It’s good that such a wise warrior took my side, I can imagine how many things he would have done before my generals put a muzzle on him ... As you say, your name? - he threw from the height of his throne to the messenger of the rebels. The old warrior raised his head from the planks at the foot of the steps of the Blue Hall. - An old Muslim at your service, Living a Thousand Lives ... You are a brave man, old man if you dared to come to me with such a proposal. Do you guess what will follow next? - I have lived my life, oh Son of Heaven ... What should I be afraid of? - I’ll tell you what is worth fearing ... This is to live on. I accept your master’s offer. Commander gives him the rank of chief of the garrison of a fortress in Hubei province, where you can deploy your troops. From now on, you are all my property, and I am free to dispose of your worthless lives. And now try to raise your sword against your sovereign. The price will be death, long and painful, like that of your “old prince” Gao Yingxiang. And now - go, convey my will to your master. My dignitaries will take care of the rest. So the long confrontation between the Chuan army and the son of Heaven ended. The following year, the Hare several more rebel leaders ed the service of the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, among them the Archer, the Striking Sky, the Star Flying in the Sky, the Prince of the Broad Sky, and fifteen more leaders of the robber squads. In the capital of the Celestial Empire, there was unprecedented jubilation on this occasion. Everyone believed that if the Great Troubles ended, general prosperity came, and the country would undoubtedly prosper. Festive firecrackers and jokes flew over the Forbidden City, people in smart clothes filled the streets of the Capital. The owners of taverns and taverns made in a matter of days the revenue of the entire lunar quarter, or even the whole moon! The country was celebrating. And in the North, behind the Great Wall, the Jurchens were already prancing in full armour, preparing to attack the garrisons of provincial towns that had been weakened from a long lull.

Chapter 11

Henan Province. Outskirts of Kaifeng.

Li Zicheng, to whom luck had already shown his fangs - under Keifang, which he did not take outright, was in no hurry to answer. True, a victory at Xianzheng followed that defeat, after which scattered squads from all over the area flocked to his army. But just like that, it was easy for such deserved fighters as Cao Cao to come to him. He could not . And he asked the robber a question that had long been spinning in the Chuan prince's tongue: - And why did your leader, the all-conquering Yellow Tiger, the Eighth Grand Duke Zhang Xianzhong, become so displeasing to you you left his camp and rushed to my tents through half of the Celestial Empire? An ironic grin flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, but this did not reflect on his face, groomed by the hands of skilful concubines. - Are we the only one so smart? As I heard, even the Old Muslim has asked for your hand, and the Prince of the Left Gold is also not thinking too much, whose commands he should now follow ... "Even the earliest young people, like Little Yuan, hastened to bring you a vassal oath," said Leather Eye and glanced sideways at his friend, saying, am I right? Cao Cao just tilted his head slightly in approval, not taking his gaze from Li Zicheng's expressionless face. In the Beast's lair, it was worth not to lose vigilance. However, the experienced robber assessed his chances in a dangerous situation soberly as zero or close to those.

After that drastic defeat in the gorge, when he with a handful of warriors frozen to the bones went to the North of Shaanxi, the Rebel war had finally come to nought. The last centres of resistance were broken or extinguished by themselves after the decree of the Emperor about pardon and aid to the starving. The peasants spread to their villages, individual commanders, such as Wu Sangui with his henchmen, and went to the service of the Emperor. Wu Sangui became so insolent that he even demanded money from the Lord of the Celestial Empire to his one hundred thousandth army. And the Emperor - oh, great

Heaven, what is going on under your arches! - gave them to him! True, the Yellow Tiger did not last long, a year later, he betrayed the now Emperor and again set off for a walk in the southern provinces. But, to all the troubles of the Great Huangdi, drought first hit the long-suffering land of the Celestial Empire in subsequent years, and then the Jurchens invaded, which finally ruined the northern and eastern provinces. The peasants again found themselves on the verge of extinction, and those wishing to his almost destroyed army again reached out to Li Zicheng. Winter was coming, Li Zicheng's army by its beginning was already almost four hundred thousand horsemen and almost three hundred thousand swordsmen, not counting the shooters and those who owned firearms.

There were siege cannons in the army, with crews that had gone over to the side of the rebels from the imperial regiments. Under the leadership of the wise Luo Yang and officers who had deserted from the regular army, the Chuan prince made something out of his army that the Celestial Empire had not yet seen. The cavalry is constantly training, Zicheng, realising that his main strength was and will be surprised, demanded that the riders move with maximum speed and especially work out the formation of water barriers, and he sees several of these on the way to the Capital of the Celestial Empire. And then several Jurchen warriors came to his aid, running to him from the tyranny of the commanders of Prince Dorgon. They were the ones who taught Li Zicheng's riders to swim across small rivers, holding onto their horses' manes or standing on their backs! At first, it seemed to the former peasants or mail carriers as something unattainable, but after a couple of months of hard training, only every fifth of them could not confidently stand in full height in the saddle during the crossing! And that the speed of movement of the cavalry army, in this case, increased by order of magnitude! True, there was still the full-flowing Yellow River, but now Zicheng knew he would come up with something here too. Zu Dashou's headquarters in Henan province. Zu Dashou jumped off his horse and, throwing the reins to the orderly, stepped under the arch of the headquarters tent. The commanders of the four corps of the government army, assigned by the Emperor for destruction, gathered around. A hastily knocked down table with maps of Henan province spread out on it. On which the position of his army and the army of this scoundrel, some simply indestructible rogue of Li Zicheng. Dashaw threw his cloak on the bench by the door and bowed slightly to the generals. They made a ceremonial bow to him. One newcomer, Zu Dashou, itted that he

turned out to be Fuzon Long, an experienced warrior, not one of those who sweep the "nightingale" floors in the imperial palace of the Capital. He fought the first company against these rebels, won several battles, and even took part in the pursuit of the villain Zhang Xianzhong. With the latter, Zu Dashou had unpleasant memories. He ed very well how then, several years ago, he practically smashed this Yellow Tiger, drove him into a cage, and only the incomprehensible games of court politicians helped to avoid this demon in the human guise of just retribution. He somehow very early went into the service of the Emperor, then begged forgiveness for himself and his one hundred thousand henchmen. And everyone in the Forbidden City doesn't give a damn that the robber, who had bargained for the maintenance for his army, treacherously broke all agreements exactly a year later, trampling all decency, and again began a war against the entire Celestial Empire! But Dashaw then warned these boobies in the Capital, sent a messenger after a messenger, proposed plans to capture the bastard before he came into force ... And then, when the Yellow Tiger dared to oppose his army, he defeated him completely and even captured his wife with concubines! The villain even then wriggled out, went to the North, and then, licking his wounds, returned, having raised a huge uprising in the Yangtze Valley. With obvious contempt for death and worldly blessings, he marched across the province of Hubei with fire and sword and won a dizzying victory at Huangling, and then his cavalry walked to the headquarters of the Commander in Xiangyang and wiped out the residences of the two princes of the imperial blood.

Zhang Xianzhong executed the princes themselves and their dignitaries, and their treasury went to his army. The demon knows what he did not share with his chieftains there, but one after other several companions left him at once, moving to the camp of Li Zicheng, and then, having been defeated by Zu Dashou, the Yellow Tiger himself bowed to the Chuan prince. He, however, according to rumours, did not greet him very much, having detached only half a thousand horsemen with him, and now the beaten Tiger is hiding somewhere in the South, but, according to the same rumours, he has already recruited another army from somewhere! You just wonder how much combustible human material is in the Celestial Empire, ready food for the fires of these endless uprisings! And now, at last, under his, Dashaw flags, a strong enough army had gathered so that it was possible to give an open battle to the army of the Chuan prince. That victory awaited them, Zu Dashou never doubted for a second: "Master Cho's" spies did

not for a moment ignored Zicheng's army and knew almost everything about his movement: both the number and the level of training. , and about movements soon. All that remained was to set a trap and drive this herd that had lost the shepherd into it. Rubbing his forehead and collecting his thoughts, the commander raised his hand to attract attention. The whispering at the table instantly died down, the faces of all four corps commanders turned to him.

Western Army camp in Henan province.

Zu Dashou woke up from being shaken mercilessly by the shoulders! Him, the commander of the Western Army! But the military habit immediately prevailed over his emotions, and he threw the only thing in the aide's face stunned by horror: - Who ?! - Chuan prince, sir! With him - countless army! The first corps is running, and its commander refuses to obey your orders and hold the position; they have already folded and retreat! On the way, wrapping his chain mail robe and seizing the sling with the sword more comfortably, the commander jumped out of the tent. And he found himself in the abode's thick of demons, as described by the sick in the head inhabitants of the opium-smoking rooms. Dashaw was confused only for a moment, but it was enough to miss a swift dagger blow from behind under the left blade. He was saved by a bronze plate of armour and a trained reaction. He turned around in time and intercepted the second blow, directed by the unexpectedly firm hand of his beloved Kiu to a point unprotected by armour, just above the waist. With one movement, twisting the girl's hand, causing the knife to fall out of her weakened fingers at once, Zu Dashou stunned the traitor with a powerful blow of his fist on the head. Throwing off his belt, the general twisted the arms of the former dancer and, grabbing the bridle of a horse without a rider running past, threw the woman's lifeless body across the saddle. He thrust the occasion into the hands of a soldier who had arrived in time from his guard and, having thrown to him: "Protect more than my treasury!", He looked around, haunted. Horsemen stupidly rushed from side to side around the camp, and there was no more order in the units of the swordsmen ... Someone hastily put on armour; someone tried to get out of this crowd as soon as possible, some forepeople and centurions tried to bring all this bedlam is at least order ... Here a bay horse swept past, dragging a lifeless horseman with his boot stuck in the stirrup. His head beat lifelessly against the

icy bumps, a light cavalry shield still dangled on his left arm. Dashaw wanted to grab the horse by the bridle but did not have time - someone pushed him in the back, then he received several solid blows to the ribs, and when he got out of the horror-stricken crowd of archers, the poor fellow was already carried away. And how could he already help him ... Throwing out the warriors who were crazed with panic with his elbows, the commander broke through to the hitching post, jumped into the saddle of his Divine Thunder, and then the bleak picture of the battle morning was revealed to him in all its glory ... The corps from Gansu, whose commander refused to take his place in the ranks and retreated at the first onslaught of the enemy, was surrounded, and now he was beaten by both horse archers and the heavy infantry of the rebels. The situation of this corps was so pitiful that Zu Dashou did not even think about helping his unlucky leader! Throwing new "meat" into this mess - no, thank you, help, rather, should be provided to Fuson Long, beating on the right flank, his fighters still have every chance of breaking out of this bloody battle. Have you noticed that the villages under the Moon are too empty? "But only women and old people remained there. Where can I get new warriors? - I'm glad you thought about it. Perhaps you will indeed be the best Emperor in the history of the Celestial Empire ... "In the meantime, I'm going to clean up my current possessions," Lee wanted, as if not hearing the last words of the sage. - Hey, centurion, in order to organise the pursuit of those units, they are a too well-coordinated retreat. The battle ended when the first stars played in the cold winter sky. Thousands reported their losses, and Li Zicheng's heart relieved: they got off with little blood. The rebels lost only twenty thousand killed and wounded, while this battle cost the Emperor almost one hundred and fifty thousand lives of his loyal subjects.

It was not possible to capture Commander Dashaw, with a handful of loyal warriors broke through to the North, and the pursuit had to be abandoned because of the rapidly advancing darkness. The last detachment, returning to the camp, brought with them the tortured, wrapped in a rough mat, the naked body of the once beautiful Kiu, a dancer and invaluable spy in the camp of the accursed Zu Dashou. The entire camp went out to say goodbye to the heroic girl, although until now no one knew about her existence. It just so happened that when Commander Li Zicheng and his nephew Li Guo walked next to the carriage, on which lay already washed and wrapped in a clean cloth, the body of the Kiu dancer, to the exit from the camp, to where the specially allocated hundreds of the soldiers who fell in the battle were buried, followed by most of

the soldiers who were not on duty. In mournful silence, the stern warriors looked at the funeral pyre, and the reflections of the flame in which young Kiu was burning played with a crimson glow not only in their pupils, they seemed to burn out their courageous hearts with hatred for the Emperor and his henchmen.

The Chuan prince ordered the prisoners to be disarmed and released; he could not afford to feed a horde of almost eighty thousand heads. The rest of the troops escaped from the battlefield. But that it was a complete victory, only a complete idiot could doubt. And there were no such people in Li Zicheng's closest circle.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

Ji Yujian, the Great Huangdi of the Celestial Empire, squeezed the armrests of the throne so that his knuckles ached to the blue marble ... Again, betrayal! Again, you can't trust anyone! How could this have happened? - Why did he leave? Why didn't his closest officers, generals, interfere? Was this Dashaw living as a hermit and making plans on the lonely Xian Mountain? Before him lay the High Eunuch, a messenger from Shaanxi Province, and the Minister of the Western Provinces. Everyone was afraid to even lift their head from the tree floor, so the Emperor was terrible in anger. And it doesn't matter that his voice at that moment sounded with the melody of a caring father of the family, who was angry with his careless children! Everyone knew perfectly well what would follow if Yujian did not receive proper answers to his questions. They should be in the sense that they should satisfy not only his curiosity but also correspond to his notions of how it should be in reality. And its reality at the moment was sharply different from the actual state of affairs, so the heads of several hundred dignitaries will soon sprinkle blood on the fairgrounds of some provincial capitals.

Zu Dashou, along with several officers especially close to him, after the defeat in Henan province, fled to the North, to the Jurchens, and when the troops sent on his trail examined his houses, they found neither his children, nor his wife, nor

concubines there.

Everything showed that the disgraced colonel had planned his escape to the North for a long time and had taken his family out of the Capital in advance. Does this traitor still have relatives who would pay for the sins of his relative, or did he drag everyone outside the Great Wall? The High Eunuch raised his head. I dare to remind Great Huangdi that his nephew, the young general Wu Sangui, is in command of the Eastern Army ... - Eastern army? The only stronghold of our power on the very border? - Yes, the Great One, Living for a Thousand Years ... In the Shanhai-Guan Fortress ... - As far as we can , we have no more troops on that side? - The Emperor looked unkindly at the eunuch, which did not escape the gaze of the experienced courtier. Sweating profusely in advance, he shook his head negatively. The Emperor rose from the throne, which was already a bad sign. If he now pulls that scarlet lace yonder, then in a couple of moments, several soldiers of the personal guard will jump out from behind the curtains at the far wall and drag those guilty of a state crime into a stinking pit, await an untimely death. All three courtiers, holding their breath, watched as the right hand of the Emperor slowly stretched out in a fatal lace ... The Minister felt at some moment how the contents of the gourmet breakfast were urgently requested into his silk tros. He was incredibly ashamed, he was aware of his shame, but he could do nothing about it: a pungent smell crept through the throne room. Several courtiers, who unwittingly witnessed the ugly scene, concealed their grin; this echidna Yuan, the beloved concubine of the Emperor, with whom he was going to spend the evening in the Lake Palace, sitting aside on an elegant sofa, hid a fan. A Sound of Thunder! So the palace had not enjoyed itself for a long time. Everyone laughed: the guards at the door, courtiers at different ends of the throne room, servants with fans, eunuchs carrying fruit and wine. And even the Emperor himself deigned to smile with some corners of his lips. But then his hand interrupted the path, fatal for many, to the scarlet lace and pointed to Chengcheng ... - That's what, a thunderstorm of garden labourers ... I want to know everything about this Wu Sangui, I still lacked that at the fateful hour my country would remain without protection from the East. And remove this abomination - the Emperor grimaced towards the Minister of the Western Provinces, a sack lying unconscious in a puddle of his faeces. "There will be no executions today. I have too few loyal confidants left to send not the worst of them to the block. This ... this one knows his business, but what am I to do with you? Tszyu Yujian scanned the crowd of idle courtiers, who froze in one hour

after his last words, with a watery, such mortally dangerous look for many. Maybe sell into slavery to the South, at least there will be some benefit to the treasury from you? Even the court cricket held its breath in the palace ... A cold winter wind hummed somewhere in the ceilings ... they startled even the flame in the many braziers warming the vast hall in fright. The Emperor watched the unconscious body of the Minister, dragged away by his servants somewhere behind distant curtains, and for the first time in many years, he felt lonely in this palace. He turned away from everyone and, beckoning for the beautiful Yuan, moved towards the South Exit from the palace. Hundreds of unkind eyes looked at his back, ready, it seemed, with their hatred to burn through his yellow robe, painted with peacocks and apple trees in bloom. The Emperor felt this too. And he vowed to himself never to forget this feeling of hatred. Henan Province. The location of the peasant army. Li Zicheng's tent was full: the military leaders, the old fox Luo Yang and the Chuan prince's associates were thinking about future achievements. During a lively conversation, as Li reached for the wine cup and was already bringing it to his face, Luo Yang struck it hard with his cane. Surprisingly, the lively conversation ended. - And what do you mean by that, sage? - with a displeased grin said the leader of the peasant army. "Just that you should be more careful," Luo Young looked at the amazed witnesses of such an unsightly picture. "I assure you, Chief, they have poisoned the wine. Have you seen before the person who brought you the cup today? Li Zicheng frowned. He tried in vain to the young man, but to his regret, he could not find an answer. - Give this wine to the oldest mare and see what happens to her. I never cease to be amazed at your perspicacity, old man - casting an incredulous glance at all those present, Lee gave the order to his people. The Chuan prince did not wait for confirmation of his teacher's words. It turned his thoughts to other questions: who desires to kill him?

Chapter 12

Shanhaiguan Fortress. The outpost of the Eastern Army Wu Sangui.

From the top of the Drum Tower, the commander of the Eastern Army of the Celestial Empire, the young General Wu Sangui, watched the convoy of the Big Embassy crawling along the dusty road towards the Great Wall. He was mortally tired of these games with the Jurchens. Prince Dorgon sent numerous amount of ambassadors to them with tempting offers. In this fortress, the Eastern Army was the last barrier in the prince's path's armoured cavalry, and he perfectly understood this. He also understood that, besides military settlers numbering about eighty thousand, almost forty thousand soldiers of the regular army walk at the hand of Wu Sangui. And these are already professionals of the highest standard, and even the glorified carapaces would not sweep it away on the move. In the capital, they perfectly imagined the situation on the northern border, and therefore, with unnecessary checks, these bigwigs from the headquarters did not come in here. Not like in the Army of the West, where one by one campaign against the rioters take place. His uncle, famous Zu Dashou, suffered from this Li Zicheng, a hundred thorns in his throat ... After that defeat, he had to carry his feet beyond the Wall, well; he is not the first; he is not the last ... Good military prince have he welcomes himself with all his hospitality, pays well for science, but no matter how you look, it's still a betrayal ... And this is the second thing. Now, who knows how his life will turn out ... Various rumours come from the capital. They say that the Emperor was furious after the flight of Dashaw, and especially zealous henchmen-spiteful critics had already advised him to arrest the commander of the Eastern Army, after all a close relative of the fugitive. But the Emperor had his own opinion on his and sent his advisers to hell. In all senses. It is said that they were never seen again at court. But he sent him, Wu Sangui, a lengthy petition recognising his "undoubted merit and devotion."

The general understood everything correctly: they hinted to him that everyone

ed about his uncle and was closely watching him. And, to be honest, there is no one to simply put the Emperor in his place, because it is not to walk through the gardens on the Mountain of Wonderful View, here from behind every bush an enemy spy looks out, but not invented, but the most there is real, armed to the teeth with arrows, lances and knives. Wu Sangui was not afraid of his fortress. Shanhaiguan was magnificently covered from all sides. In the East, the territory is locked by the Zastava of the South River; it is almost impossible to there. At the junction of the Great Wall and the bay stands the fortress of the City of the Tranquil Sea with its huge Tower of the Transparent Sea. Thus, the entire gap between the Yanshan Ridge and the Liaodong Bay can be regarded as a huge and powerful fortified area. Of course, from here, there is a direct road to the capital, along which there are military camps, hitching posts, army warehouses. But getting on it is simply unrealistic for the enemy. The sun, in a spring-like manner, was early sliding over the distant horizon. At the top of the Drum Tower struck the "hour of the pig" - the beginning of the Twelfth Guard. The big drum was answered by blows into overturned cauldrons throughout the fortress. This meant that dinner was over; it was time to order the lights out. And there and then, the regimental horns played sleepily. The fortress fell silent. Wu Sangui, nodding casually to the bodyguards, went to his quarters. He still had to look through today's reports of the quartermasters, look at the correspondence with the commanders of the surrounding posts and then, before going to bed, once again carefully analyse what the ambassador of the Jurzhen prince offered him today. Although, what else could he offer besides the next path leading to high treason? And the commander of the Eastern Army of the Celestial Empire was not yet ready to it.

Shanxi province. Outskirts of Kaifeng. Li Zicheng's army.

By the middle of summer, Li Zicheng set out to capture this damned Keifang at last! The next, second in a row, the assault took place in early spring and again ended in nothing. As if a spoken word, the fortress stubbornly refused to open its gates in front of its many time's superior local garrisons, almost a million army! This time, at the crucial moment of the siege, news came from Li Guo, who with his army ran into the remnants of Zu Dashou's army and entered a protracted unequal battle with them. The imperial troops had nothing to lose, so they fought

with the fury of mountain leopards, driven into a narrow cleft by a cave bear. And the beloved nephew would have been beaten if the Old Muslim had not arrived in time and struck the Western army in the rear! The fun was notable; those of the Emperor's warriors who left then, six months ago, from the encirclement, now found themselves in the same situation, only this time no one was going to spare them. The mountain slopes were covered with enemy blood, the combined regiments of the rebels, who gave vent to their hatred, pursued the remnants of the army of several dozen, and only when the horses under the riders were tired and were about to fall, Li Guo gave the command to stop the pursuit. As a result, practically nothing remained of the Western army, and it was possible to establish power in the liberated territories, which Li Zicheng would have immediately engaged in ... If not for this damned Keifang, under which he was once again stuck. The Chuan prince gathered the commanders of the detachments to set the task before a fresh assault. The headquarters tent immediately became crowded with muscular bodies that smelled of sweat and blood. Lee scowled over the fighters he had fought side by side with for several years in a row.

There are no others it was thought at that moment, and a needle of indistinct melancholy, the inevitability of imminent death, sharply pricked his heart, but he shook his head, driving away thoughts that were unnecessary today— commanders... Aged and young, desperate and careful, reasonable and reckless. At the head of all, of course, is the beloved nephew, Li Guo. He has not yet cooled down from the excitement of the battle in the mountain gorges, and his eyes are burning with a thirst for noble blood ... How much they talked about this Keifang, which became a stumbling block for the mighty "Chuan" army! They made various plans, looked for engineers capable of building siege engines of the required power, fired guns. And that's all to no avail. The city is as if bewitched by someone! It costs itself a silent reproach and undermines the prestige of the prince ... But in Li Guo's gaze - not a shadow of a doubt, he mentally has already climbed onto its walls. Next to him is the Old Muslim; together, they exterminated only the Western army. A battle-hardened warrior, a former robber who knows no pity. It is said that the governor of Gansu province, who took his brother and sister hostage, boiled them alive in a cauldron of butter. Since then, a Muslim has a concrete attitude to imperial officials: he exterminates them wherever he finds them! By the way, he fed that governor to his guard dogs, which were previously kept for a month on starvation rations.

Leather Eye, an excellent tactician, at whose hand up to forty thousand swordsmen, devoted to him beyond their limit, walk. When he covered Zhang Xianzhong's retreat during his last company, he managed not to lose a single word from his squad. His warriors simply idolise him! And as for excessive cruelty - they say that he has not taken prisoners on principle in recent years then, in all honesty, who of those present at this gathering can be called sinless? This is a war of all against all, and there is no place for soft-bodied and tearful jerks ... Little Yuan ed the prince's army with his army only a year ago, but already become famous, for example, in the battle with the Western army. Young jackals, always thirsty for blood, that's who they are, a new generation, new thoughts ... They no longer just need a profit, they crave power, they are ready to gnaw each other's throats in a fight for the post of commander of their pack, only the strongest survive here. So Tiny survived, putting a couple of dozen of his former friends on the way to the post of the commander ... Loyal to the Chuan prince in the soul, at least that's what they say ... But what hides behind the look of watery, colourless eyes and this slightly a malicious smile, Heaven alone knows. The magnificent Cao Cao, an excellent sword fighter and tactician. In the past he was a ruthless robber, today he is a talented colonel and a sybarite ... They say there are several singers on his wagon train they arrange concerts for him on long evenings on bivouacs. And skilful concubines relieve the tension of everyday life from a tired body every night ... It is incomprehensible to my mind how he gets enough sleep with such a life and be always in combat form! Several years ago, when they were still equal in Gao Yingxiang's army, they made up an excellent combination in battle: Li knew how to plan and carry out the operation, and Cao Cao was distinguished by his talent of the performer, his cavalry simply swept away the enemy lines, not leaving the enemy has no chance. One can say the same about his devotion as about the spring snow: they will warm it up, and it will melt.

Zicheng had no illusions about him. Wise Luo Yang once said correctly about him: once the seller will sell three times. But behind him is a large army, almost fifty thousand soldiers, and this has to be reckoned with. On the right hand, next to Li Guo, stands also Liu Zongmin, old man ... They then together escaped from the stone sack; going for a breakthrough, a faithful warrior stabbed two beloved wives so that in case of defeat, they would not fall to the enemy ... So he lives alone, he did not even bring his concubine ... He longs for his wives ... This enemy will gnaw his throat, such he has an with the Emperor and his

army. He will fight to the end. But an excellent company has picked up; now you just need to point out a worthy goal to everyone - and you can reap the benefits. So the goal! "This city must fall today," the Chuan prince spoke evenly, carefully weighing every word. When the siege weapons seized as trophies from the defeated Western army first swooped down, Zicheng, who was walking towards his wei, even sat down! The roar was such as if the earth was about to burst open and swallow the total area! Huge cannonballs flew towards the city, so they reached the walls and smashed to shreds one piece of masonry between the two watchtowers. A fountain of debris and a dark cloud of dust flew up to the sky ... And already the second line of guns spat out long tongues of flame towards the city ... The Chuan army stood still, waiting for the commander's order. Lee grimaced: it's not time yet ... The catapults and tributaries struck not so effectively, there was no roar, but hundreds of fiery comets drew the sky, rushing towards the city. Lines of fire flashed over the army and dived somewhere, beyond the walls, into the depths of city blocks. At first glance, the impact of these throwing weapons did not bring any damage, but Lee knew that this was not so: the city built only of wood was very vulnerable precisely to fires, as all the cities of the Celestial Empire. The stone was used there only for the construction of fortified walls, and even then, not everywhere. Some time ed, and now in one or another place of the city, still timid haze stretched towards the sky. They grew stronger, gained density, changed colour from grey to black. Already here and there above the walls, the first tongues of flame shot up. The artillery boomed again, the cannonballs hit the Wall again, bringing down its upper honour for a great length, now it was quite possible to use siege ladders! The assault teams with them at the ready were only waiting for the signal. And he followed: the simple sound of battle trumpets floated over the field! And there and then hundreds of warriors, picking up strong ladders soundly twisted from bamboo trunks from the ground, rushed to the walls. From above, a hurricane of arrows and bullets immediately fell on them; someone fell and rolled on the grass, trying to pull the arrow out of the wound, others grabbed their chest or shoulder, catching a bullet, but their comrades immediately took their place at the stairs, without stopping not for a moment your run to the city walls. When the first groups of storming men found themselves in the "dead zone" at the foot of the city wall, boiling oil was poured on top of them, prepared in advance by those besieged on the walls and constantly heated by special teams at bonfires. Screams of pain, curses, blasphemy to Heaven - all this was mixed in one cry, which was immediately covered with a loud "Wangsui!" from hundreds of thousands of tinned sips! Reinforcements arrived!

No matter how many soldiers there were on the walls, they had to face an immeasurably superior enemy, and this could not but affect. The detachments of the defenders, who successfully pushed away the first ladders brought up to the walls with long hooks, were immediately knocked out by the massive fire of archers and musketeers. They were instantly replaced by others, but they too fell under the lethal rain of enemy shells. And now the first dozens of attackers find themselves on the crest of the Wall in the place where the huge stone cannonballs did their job. Zicheng grabbed the sword more comfortably and lunged along the ridge of the Wall, to where his warriors were fighting. The music of battle, dear to the ear, rumbled around: the ringing of hardened steel, cries of delight and despair, the roar of shots from hand-held arms and muskets ... Lee noticed the imperial warrior with a plume on his helmet and, twisting his sword, slapped him on the neck with a sliding motion. The warrior turned to him, looked with a surprised gaze, but blood gushed from the severed aorta, and he grabbed the terrible wound with both hands, threw down his sword and settled ... Lee spun on his heels - and just in time: three came running! Well, they didn't see that: a dive, two swings in the style of a "falling leaf" along the knee veins of opponents, and now two of them settle to the ground, dropping their swords, the third makes a thrust, a retaliatory blow with the base of the Jian at the very guard, here the steel is the thickest, and the enemy Tao flies off with a ring. The attacker's hand leads to the side, while the chest is opened for the last blow ... That's it; this one is not an opponent either. Two swift blows to those who are lying around, clutching at their feet - and they went on a date with the forefathers. Now - forward, to where his soldiers are trying to recapture the city gates, they are the primary target of his detachment! Li Zicheng shook himself, and then he flew ... A deafening blow to the left eye, severe pain and - darkness that consumes everything. He still felt how he was falling, how someone's caring hands were trying to pick him up, and then - emptiness ... ... Little Guo was drowning ...

Zicheng realised this as soon as he jumped out at the baby's cry. From the cliff of the old pond, one could see how a little man was floundering desperately among the water lilies! Throwing off his shirt as he walked, Lee rushed down with swift jumps, several times, he slipped on the sand scree, almost fell, but the teenager's strong legs quickly found and carried the flexible body to where his

beloved nephew was. Losing his last strength! Zicheng saw that the boy almost did not stay on the surface anymore, only his hands were furiously hitting the water, scattering myriads of splashes, and his mouth distorted an unpushed cry no strength ... friend. An expression of desperate hope appeared on Guo's face, he also tried to swim towards his friend, but his legs did not obey. Lee padded up to him and, trying not to fall under the mill of his frantic hands in despair, dived and grabbed his nephew from behind, under his arms, and, falling on his back, quickly kicked his legs, heading for the shore. Go hung on him with a deck, in this position, the hands were useless, and the boy's legs had not yet moved away from the icy shackles ... There were a few good strokes to the shore when Zicheng suddenly felt himself being dragged into the depths by force and froze in the icy water of deep springs ... It was the same Black Pool, which was often recalled in their tales of older guys in the outskirts of the village ... They said that an ancient Karp lives there, as old as the Universe itself, which, occasionally, can drag a cow to the depths of the lake by accident. And what, cattle disappeared it was a matter ... And now both of them were being dragged to the depths, either by a current, or by some magical force ... And there would be no chance of getting to the surface literally in a few moments, something had to be solved, and the decision came by itself instantly ...

Pushing Li Guo away from him with force towards the shore, Zicheng sighed as much as his lungs would allow and, succumbing to the flow of water, went into the depths ... He was not scared at all, but even interesting ... From below, he saw how his nephew suddenly kicked his legs! Yeah, the lake demon let go, now the boy will get out ... The sun dropped oblique rays through the openwork duckweed on the surface, fell in pillars along the lily stems ... And darkness was advancing from below ... At some point, Li Zicheng suddenly realised that this was the end. There is nothing behind this darkness - neither the past nor the future. Lungs suddenly burst in a vain search for a life-giving breath of air, some kind of pain appeared in his eyes, his ears were blocked, but the boy did not think - he knew it was too early, he had to be patient a little, and only then he could do a saving stroke to the side the oncoming flow, which will carry it to the surface ...

But how difficult it is to wait! His uncle, a former officer of the Imperial Army,

when he taught him to shoot with a heavy - not for boyish slender handles - army bow, made Zicheng stand for half an hour with a drawn bowstring. The veins on his hands were ready to burst, a vein was swelling on his forehead, blood was pounding in his temples, but something and the stubbornness of the little "warrior" were enough. And gradually, it grew into a habit of enduring. And now she was very useful to him. He did not know where this feeling came from, but at some strictly defined moment, he seemed to hear a voice in his head: "It's the time!". And he took the first wide stroke from the depths. The darkness beneath him seemed to open up in a terrible grimace, and she did not want to let go of a new victim; the demons of the water were already dancing around their fire in anticipation of fresh meat, but he, blowing up silvery bubbles of the suddenly useless air that was tearing his lungs, gradually began to float up. And when the water already sliding past him warmed and brightened, the brain was suddenly covered with an impenetrable black blanket, huge and heavy, without the slightest gap on it. And then suddenly it disappeared abruptly ... First, there were voices. Incomprehensible, vague words cannot be made out. And some images before the eyes against the background of a light spot. Then the gradually reviving brain could isolate the familiar voice of Li Guo: - Alive! And a manyvoiced cry of delight: it was shouting from his commanders, crowded around his box ... How - a bed ?! He fought on the Wall! He put down three of her defenders and rushed to the gate tower! But he lies under a warm sheep's blanket, undressed, above him is the arch of his tent ... What happened, where is his army, how did the assault end? Li Guo bent over him and brought up a bowl of spicy-smelling infusion: - Drink, brother, so the doctor ordered ... - What is it? - the Chuan prince wrinkled his nose. Guo laughed. - Glory to Heaven! It - an infusion of jin-Sheng, it will put you on your feet ... - Was I injured? - Yes, and pretty much ... Only the art of our Tong saved your life ... Look ... Li Guo snatched the Tao out of its sheath and handed it to Zicheng ... He looked at the wide sparkling blade, and his eyebrows crept up in amazement: in place of his left eye, his reflection was wearing a neat black bandage.

Li Guo froze, not knowing what reaction to expect from the prince to such news. For a while, Li Zicheng froze, amazed. Northern border. Jurchen field camp. Dragon ran greasy fingers into a pile of rice on a platter and fished out a fat piece of meat. Hissing on the scalding hot fat, the Jurzhen prince opened his seemingly boundless mouth and at once swallowed a rich piece of pork.

Northern border. Jurchen field camp.

Dragon ran greasy fingers into a pile of rice on a platter and fished out a fat piece of meat. Hissing on the scalding hot fat, the Jurzhen prince opened his seemingly boundless mouth and at once swallowed a rich piece of pork ... Sangui winced, but he also took walking sticks out of a leather case and ate. The table was set right on the ground; plush carpets were soft and protected from the cold of the rapidly cooling ground in the mountains. Above the bivouac towered the bulk of the Great Wall, there were no less than thirty from here to Shaikhanguan, so there was no need to fear the spies.

According to the official version, the commander of the Eastern Army left for a hunt with his entourage. Well, so what's wrong with that? A familiar thing. Wu Sangui regularly hunted, accustoming potential spies of the Emperor to their frequent absences. The commanders of the garrison know their service perfectly so that his temporary absence will not affect the overall combat capability of the distant outpost. The pork with rice turned out to be great; the sly Dorgon did not cheat. The commander ate slowly, knowing perfectly well the customs of the Jurchen: the guest should pay tribute to the abundant table and drinks and only then proceed to serious conversations. - If you like, master, my servants will invite women ... A crafty light flashed in the eyes of Dorgon, but Wu Sangui did not fall for the grandeur of his interlocutor. He knew perfectly well who was sitting in front of him: the fourteenth son of the founder of the Manchu Khanate, Khan Nurkhatsi, from his third wife. A brilliant commander and an excellent diplomat. Sly fox, as his enemies called him. Dorgon has always been distinguished by a sharp mind and quickness of thought, and this allowed him to achieve the maximum of opportunities in his country - to become the head of the Department of Officials, the second person in the state after the ruling Khan Abakhai. It was Dorgon who, with fire and sword, completed the conquest of the southern lands of the Mongols and utterly defeated the last ruler of the Chahar Khanate, the young khan Enge, annexing his possessions to the Manchu.

He also took part in several successful raids on the lands of the Celestial Empire, for example, five years ago, troops under the command of him and his brother Yueto ed through the provinces of Zhili, Shandong and Shanxi, capturing and looting fifty-eight cities along the way, including as large as Tianjin and Jinan. Then they returned with rich trophies, along the way taking one of the close relatives of Emperor Yujian, the appanage prince Dewang. This campaign finally secured for Dorgon the glory of the "favourite of fate" and "the fox of the foxes." But he also added envious people; in this, the throne of Manchuria did not differ from that in the Celestial Empire. The courtiers presented the rise of the young commander to Khan Abakhai as an encroachment on his power. The Khan was now only waiting for a lead to knock the lucky relative out of the saddle. And such a case soon presented itself. A year ago, during a long siege of Jinzhou, Abakhai completely undeservedly blamed him for the lack of obvious successes, indecision, lowered his princely title by one level and imposed a fine of ten thousand lines of silver, an amount that was simply unaffordable. Dorgon obeyed but harboured a grudge. And he looked for potential allies who, in the event of a bad turn of events for him, would at least shelter him for a while, allowing him to wait out the storm.

Shaanxi Province. Li Zicheng's army camp.

Li Zicheng, having sent most of his troops to Shaanxi, to winter quarters, returned to Sanyang, a strategically important point on the Han River, which in all past centuries had been a stronghold of the Middle Kingdom in the fight against the invasion of the Jurchens. He took the city in the spring and then left a small garrison in it solely to maintain order. And now the Chuan prince has returned here to make this city the basis of his new state. The work was immense, and he called to himself his faithful adviser and assistant in all matters, the philosopher Luo Yang. The old man arrived in a small carriage, accompanied by his wonderful Baozhei and immediately sanded the student for such imprudent behaviour during the siege of Kaifeng. - Oh, great Heaven, when will you send this distant relative of a monkey and a goat even a handful of brains? the old man raised his hands in the tent's canopy. As soon as two friends warmly embraced and, having uttered a million kind words to each other, they were finally left alone. The servants brought fruit and wine, and prudently left the

prince's tent. Li Zicheng smiled, sipping tart southern wine, and looked at the old man with love. The philosopher intercepted his mocking gaze and stopped … "I don't understand your cheerful mood, Chuan-wan," Yang put so much poison in his last words that they could poison all the fields in the Celestial Empire. But Lee only smiled wider. The old man frowned and ... suddenly laughed lightly. Indeed, why am I ... It's just that old age is already throwing back the canopy of my camp tent. Zicheng only threw up his hands; they say, everything is your will. - Yellow Tiger, who has completely lost his mind from the smell of blood and recklessly cuts all the servants of the Emperor who come across on his way? Li shuddered; he had heard of Zhang Xian-Chung's latest "exploits", but he could not blame him, ing his fate. He would not have wished for that. But he could not stand aside when his people died. I couldn't go yet. But the old master is right: you have to do something about it. Li Zicheng handed the sage a tangerine, took a slice himself, squeezed sticky juice into his mouth. - I have called you, master, because I wish to build here, in the South of Shaanxi, my state. This will be the first stone in the foundation of another renewed Celestial Empire. Countries without the Minsk dynasty, states where everyone will be equal in rights. The old man took the orange fruit, looked at his student in silence for a while, then asked cautiously: - I hope you understand you will have to give up a lot of what you now consider in the order of things? For example, you can no longer risk your head; from now on, it will become the property of the future state and your people, an artefact too expensive for them to risk it just like that? Li Zicheng nodded with slight hesitation. - However, - the old man continued, dabbing the black bandage on the eye of his beloved student with a thin old finger - you have already received a sufficiently visual lesson, haven't you? "Yeah, teacher," Li Zicheng laughed. The sage also laughed, thrusting teeth, unexpectedly strong for his age, into the unpeeled fruit. Acrid splashes of juice flew, Lee covered himself from them with his palm, laughing, picked up a fan from the table and waved it: - Then tell me, sage, what will my future state be called? The old man bowed: - I don't know yet, but I am sure that its name will remain in the memory of descendants. But this is not the starting point. Lee raised an eyebrow in surprise. - And why? - From your army, prince ... It needs to be reformed radically at once. And there are interesting ideas on this score ...

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Lake Palace.

Yujian, the great Huangdi, Living Ten Thousand Lives, was in danger, but what is there in anger! - in a fury! These idiots flooded the entire city! With all people! Instead of giving battle to this upstart from Shaanxi, this demon in human form, Li Zicheng! They tried to drown them like a shabby kitten, and as a result, Podnezhnaya lost her outpost in those parts, and this bastard calmly retreated to the East and even proclaimed himself the future Emperor! What arrogance! Earlier, even in yellow clothes - the colours of the Emperor - no one dared to openly dress, and today all the scum from the outskirts of the Empire call themselves "new Huangdi"! Yujian walked out onto the terrace of the Lake Palace with a wide nervous step, breathed in the cool evening air, tried to calm down ... It's good that those close to him don't see him in such a state, so all kinds of rumours are circulating the Forbidden City ... They think he has no ears in the chambers of dignitaries or eunuchs? "The emperor is too unbalanced, constantly changing his decisions ... Now he listens to these rogues from Donglin, then he again draws the eunuchs closer to him." "All our troubles and defeats come from Huangdi's ill-considered and inconsistent policies! Just look, the northern barbarians will descend right into the capital! Everything is so shaky in this world! ""We need to gather an army into a fist and bring it down first on the rebels from the East, and then on the barbarians from the North! It's time to show everyone what the strength of the invincible army of the Celestial Empire is ... ". Chatter chatter alone ... Where is that famous army? The rebels defeated some corps; they scatter others throughout the country, fighting uprisings in different provinces. The best soldiers, the last generals, are dying ... It is easy to advise, but only the military themselves know that if an invasion of the Jurchens happened, there would be no one to repel it. The eastern army will not hold out against the armoured cavalry of the barbarians for a week. And the rest of the troops had already been defeated by her several years ago when this Dorgon was walking with almost impunity across the expanses of the Celestial Empire.

Then he ravaged cities and entire provinces that had already suffered from drought, adding his flavour to the fire of rebellion that was already smouldering in Shaanxi. What kind of misfortunes has been pursuing the Celestial Empire in recent years? Hunger, pestilence, unknown diseases, invasions of northerners, clashes with red-bearded barbarians in the south, insolent pirates ... But you never know what else we can enumerate! And those who are accustomed to an idle life come to the palace every day, rustle the silks of expensive outfits and

carelessly scratch their tongues, washing the bones of the ruling clique ... And nothing can be done about it.

Chapter 13

Hubei province. Suburbs of Xi’an. Li Zicheng’s army.

Zhang Xianzhong disdainfully threw the reins to his boyfriend and jumped off his horse. Li Zicheng also left the saddle and stood by. Before them lay the flaming Xian, the Capital of Hu-Bei province. A combined army of two implacable leaders took it at dawn after a short but brutal assault. - What do you say, Prince of Chuan - the Yellow Tiger uttered the last words with undisguised mockery, though so that the army commanders standing nearby did not hear them - is there still strength in tiger strikes? Li Zicheng laughed apologetically. Yes, there is an old beast, of course ... It was an honour for me to fight next to you. “For me, too,” Xianzhong seemed to mutter under his breath, but Li heard him. - Just tell me, why did you need this trip to Henan? Or do you have a little business in Shaanxi? And the road to the Capital, which, they say, you are still going to conquer, goes north... “You’re right, brother, I’m going to the west. Not today and not now, but for this, I need food, money, warriors. Why should I ravage the provinces that lie under my hand when the neighbourhood has everything I need. And a cover from the flanks will not hurt me. Now, at least, I know that no one from Henan will hit me in the gut ... Zhang Xianzhong burst out laughing, shaking his head. - In this, you are right: after our campaign, there will certainly be no one to fight here for at least five years ... But you are not expecting a blow from here, prince, not from here ... You know why I never bring friends and respect enemies? If you say, I will. - Because the enemy will never betray. He cannot do this simply because he is my enemy. Only friends and relatives always betray. Therefore, my advice to you: keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. And then you can be calm about your rear. “Thanks for the advice, Chief. What are you going to do now?

“I’ll go to the South, take a walk along the banks of the Yangtze, there, they say, is full of rich lands. Enough to trample the roads of war in vain, it’s time to

found your kingdom in your image and likeness. Years go by we are not getting younger, it’s time to think about the heirs, as you think? Zicheng shook his head and put his hand on the Yellow Tiger’s shoulder. “I haven’t built my kingdom yet. There are a lot of things to do, I’ll finish at least a third of what was planned and, I promise, I’ll think about the heirs. Tell me here and now: are you with me, Zhang? Xianzhong pushed his hand off his shoulder. His chin lifted haughtily. No, prince. I am not against you, so my attitude to what is happening in the lands of the Celestial Empire will be more correct. There was a case - I did not help you; it so happened that you did not come to my aid. We’re even. I will not forget the five hundred horsemen that you gave me in times of disaster. But I will not forget the betrayal of my former “friends” who went over to the side of the strong in time. Only as long as they are having fun near your throne, there is no room for me there, so it for the future. In the meantime, we have not dispersed to different limits of the Marvellous Country, I invite you to my tent for a splendid feast! Still, today we have won a significant victory. No, Yellow Tiger, right. And expecting betrayal or a knife in the back from him is stupid. It was not his hands that carried the poisoned cup, and he should not be afraid of him

Shaanxi Province. Li Zicheng’s army camp near Xinyang.

Luo Young looked up at his student with an unusually heavy gaze ... - So, this is exactly how he started? Not going to be your ally? “But he certainly won’t become an enemy either,” Li Zicheng took a sip of wine from the cup, put it on an elegant table near the bed. The conversation took place across the moon after the destruction of Xian in the prince’s tent, at his headquarters in Shaanxi. The old philosopher shook his head doubtfully, sucked on his empty pipe - recently, he took care of his health, stopped blowing fragrant smoke rings at the ceiling and did not touch wine at all. Evil tongues said that it was the devil Baozhei who had bewitched him, who had not yet lost hope of giving birth to an heir from the famous sage. Young himself explained this by the enlightenment that finally came in old age and voices from above. “Besides,” Lee continued, “he will cover my army from the South when I move to the Capital.

By the way, old man, I decided to radically reform my cavalry ... - What does it not suit you? - the old man quipped grumpily - almost half a million horsemen, and with little effort, will simply sweep anyone out of their way, even the shells of the Jurchens. “That’s not the point,” Li Zicheng winced. “I didn’t like how the riders behaved in the last battle. In the attack’s midst, as soon as the enemy’s archers aimed more precisely, the first ranks turned around and ran away, saving their worthless lives ... I, of course, after the battle, hung a couple of hundred especially cowardly ones, for the edification of the rest ... But the attack nearly failed. Everything hung by a hair’s breadth, and if it were not for the flanking blow of the Xianzhong swordsmen, it is not yet known how it would have ended. The old man laughed: - And what are you going to treat human cowardice with? Have our sages already found a cure for fear? Zicheng also chuckled. - Alas, the wise men did not find it. I found ... Laughter stuck in the philosopher’s throat, and he looked at the student open eyes: - You ?! - I, - the Chuan prince nodded calmly. He slowly poured himself more wine and sipped. The sage was shocked and silent. Lee waited for a pause and then could not resist - he laughed. - Do not be angry with me for this laugh, teacher, the wise say: there, when people laugh, the devas leave ... Of course, no one has yet come up with powders and concoctions to rid the world of human cowardice ... But, trust me, there is a proven method. - Share ... - With pleasure. In the second line, I will now put my personal wei of riders, and the first will be all those in whom I pretty much doubt. In the event of their cowardice or betrayal, as soon as they turn their horses to get out of the battle, my loyal soldiers from the second line will hit them with bows. And they will have a simple choice: to die heroically for our cause voluntarily or to save me from the need to decorate the roadside trees with their bodies after the battle, again, to die for our cause, but now under the gun of my archers. They will now have no choice at all. But the benefits of them are guaranteed in any case. They’d rather die in the vanguard than stab me in the back. The old man just shook his head ... - What else have you thought of doing with your army?

Li Guo was saying something to me here, but, to be honest, I understood little ... Still, I’m a purely peaceful person ... - You will find out everything through the floor of the moon, old man. In the meantime, I retire for a few days with my Gaoshi, there are many things ahead, and we rarely see each other ... “Thus, we will organise sufficiently mobile and highly combat-ready units,” Li Guo finished his speech and bowed to Zicheng. He nodded graciously. It stunned the

other of the War Council. Cao Cao was the first to voice his soft voice. - But won’t there be a lot for one rider, two or even four horses? Is he going to sit on them all at once? - Said and himself burst out laughing at his joke. But then his Laughter died out, Cao Cao choked as no one ed his impulse. He carefully looked around - something fixed the gazes of all the commanders on Zicheng, and the Chuan prince, meanwhile, was attentively reading some report transmitted to him by his nephew. When he finished reading, Lee looked up and scanned his commanders. - What Li Guo proposes will completely change not only the structure of our army it will lead to the emergence of a new strategy and tactics of battle. Why so many horses, you ask, Cao? - he just threw up his hands and tried to justify himself.

- We need the speed of movement, and for this, every warrior must have a replacement horse. And so that nothing distracts him from the conduct of hostilities, they order him to have up to ten servants: to watch his horse, prepare food for him, clean weapons and so on. A rider on a halt should rest and think only about the fight, and his servants will take care of the rest. - And who will feed these parasites themselves and for what such services? - the Old Muslim gave a raspy voice. The others nodded approvingly. Puzzled remarks rustled. Lee raised his hand - the rustle of voices died down.

- During the march, they will do what I just said: provide a life for themselves and their rider. And in battle, they will fight in the ranks of swordsmen and pikemen, and we will assign each his place in the ranks, nothing else ... Lee smiled with just the corners of his lips. The first battle - and the most difficult! it has been won for now, and then it will be seen. When everyone dispersed, and they left Li alone with his mentor, Luo Yang was silent for a long time, not daring to ask a question that had tormented both of them for a long time. Finally, the old man decided: - Do you think that they just so easily agree to your proposals? Indeed, what you have just told them means the end of their appanage power. And they, judging by their displeased faces, are not ready to say goodbye to their habits. He didn’t have time to finish - the curtain fell back, and along with the frosty air of early spring, Li Guo returned to the tent. His eyes sparkled, his right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, while his knuckles were white with tension.

“Speak,” Li Zicheng said unexpectedly cheerfully, guessing what the conversation would be about. The nephew looked at him wonderingly: “I don’t see any reason to be too optimistic, uncle ... I just overheard the conversation between Leather Eye and Cao Cao ... - They conspired to kill me? - rather affirmatively than a question, said the newly made Great Leader. Guo stared at him in shock. - You know? Zicheng nodded. - Rather, I assumed. But with a great deal of confidence. - But how? Where from? - You would think they are capable of something else ... early or late, but they had to come to this decision, even if it goes against some of their principles and interests ... - But why? - Yes, because, friend, they are traitors by their state of mind. First, they left Gao Yingxiang with the Yellow Tiger. Then, when the imperial armies burned the Tiger’s moustache a little, they, with the same close-knit team, left him to die in loneliness and came over to me. And as soon as it deprived them of their independence, they immediately plotted against me. - And now what I can do? Nothing special. Do you say they killed me? Well, they made their move. Now it’s up to me. The old man, who had until now silently listened to their dialogue, got up from his place in the corner and, going up to Li Zicheng, put his hand on his forehead.

“Congratulations, Great Leader. You are taking the first step towards becoming a real Emperor. It will be the sacred blood, the Star, killing the Troops since this is the blood of the first enemies of your future Empire.

Somewhere in the mountains of North China. Jurchen camp.

This time Dorgon made an appointment in some high-mountain village. Wu Sangui cursed the day and hour when he agreed to this adventure with the Jurchen prince. It was necessary to get to the village with such narrow paths, going along the very edge of the abyss, in which even the bottom could not be seen even during the day, that twice it seemed as if even the guide himself was shaking with fear, entering one or another particularly dangerous even in

appearance segment of the path. They climbed the rocks for at least two or three hours until they finally found themselves in a valley surrounded by cliffs. What local people can do here - Heaven alone knows!

Sheer cliffs, basalt instead of chernozem, sparse grass makes their way between huge century-old boulders. The village nestled close to the mountain spurs themselves, several houses built of the same sandstone, fastened with some kind of, apparently, clay mortar. It covered the roofs with wood, and Wu Sangui could only guess what it cost to get him from the foot of the mountains. The guide led them to the last house and, bowing, pushed open the slit door. It opened with a creak, opening a hall in front of the guests, heated by the flame of a huge hearth, on which the whole pig was roasting. Dorgon was circumstantial even here: he did not start negotiations without paying tribute to the hearty meal. The prince himself sat on a warm, fleecy carpet, spread near the hearth, and sipped hot tea with mare’s milk.

Without waiting for an invitation, the commander sat down opposite the prince, took a bowl and also poured himself a fragrant drink from a thin porcelain teapot. He drank a sip, appraising ... he gave a satisfied kiss and nodded to Dorgon: - Greetings, prince. What did you come with this time? Dragon laughed:

- In everything, you, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, see either selfinterest or trick. And that people can just like that, simply miss each other, you do not even dare to think. I missed you, prince ... Wu Sangui grunted in annoyance. - Yes, how long can I tell you, Dorgon, that I am not a prince, not a prince ... The Jurchen’s gaze suddenly became unexpectedly icy, hard, like a snow crust in the mountains in spring: - Have you heard the latest news? Wu Sangui was alert: - I spent the last few lunar quarters on trips, drove troops through the es ... news goes to our distant garrison for a long time, especially after the Emperor abolished the state post office. “So you don’t know what’s going on in the West of the Empire,” Dorgon summed up as if to himself. - And what’s wrong with the west? - And there, in contrast to Ming, a new Empire is

being born, prince ... Again this undeserved title cut the rumour, but the commander I was now afraid to interrupt the interlocutor, apparently; the news was boiling ... “We once talked about that peasant’s son, Li Zicheng, ? Wu Sangui nodded, poured boiling water into a bowl, and took a sip. - So he creates an army, the vastness of the Celestial Empire not knew that but also by the limits of my kingdom. If Heaven itself does not stop him now, then only the cavalry in his army will be more than half a million ... And with such a force, you understand, he will go to the Capital like a red-hot knife through butter. The commander already shuddered, presenting such a picture ... Half a million horsemen alone! If he has the same amount of infantry, then it costs him nothing to bury the Ming dynasty in one moon.

“As I understand it, the whole drama of today’s situation has come down to you,” the Jurchen muttered with satisfaction. - So, we have something to talk about. For example, will you, if this “dirty emperor” still go to the Capital, get involved in the struggle and put your small army on his way? Wu Sangui shuddered ... This damned barbarian was reading his mind. He had just imagined a fight between his one and a half hundred thousand soldiers, of whom eighty were military settlers, with a horde of rebels, whose most terrible weapon would be an all-consuming hatred for everything that the Emperor’s hand touched. I imagined it and saw my imminent death in this crucible. His - and his army. So it turns out that there is a bit of common sense in the words of this Snake? And will there be, in this case, an attempt to keep an efficient army in the peak of participation in the battle for the Capital by betrayal? Wu Sangui thought deeply. Dorgon did not rush him; he got up heavily, taking out from his belt a magnificent dagger of clearly Nippon work, slowly cut off a thin layer of meat from the pig, tasted it right from the blade, smacked his lips in satisfaction. - It will not happen soon, prince ... Not soon ... But it will happen. And when that happens, be strong. Robust body and mighty spirit. Well, we will strengthen your body now; taste this suckling pig, my friend ... just for the sake of his meat, you should have climbed these mountains. As for the spirit ... Here I am, no longer your helper. Think about everything I said to you alone. Believe me, in what happens, you and I are not enemies but allies. I will come to the Celestial Empire anyway, and I do not hide it from you. Another thing is who we will meet there and disperse: good allies and friends or irreconcilable enemies. I will accept any of your decisions. But what should you choose? The commander lifted from the carpet a brass dish with a magnificent old coinage: it showed an eagle rushing

from under the dome of Heaven to a hare. I put it under the golden fat dripping from the piglet. - Perhaps I will follow your advice, wise Dorgon, but only regarding the pig. It looks tempting. As for the coming war, then you are right: it’s up to me. I will inform you of my decision in advance.

Jurchen territory. Camp Dorgon.

Dorgon invited Wu Sangui to meet in the second half of the Dog month somewhere near the border, but on the territory of the Jurchen. At first, the commander of the Eastern Army feared a trick all past negotiations took place on this side of the wall, and Wu Sangui’s spies ensured their safety. Now, for the first time, he had to trust a still recent enemy, and even today, he was not ready to consider Prince Dorgon his ally; everything was shaky ... The meeting place was for the sake of some impoverished peasant who escaped in search of a better life in a deep forest five or north of the Great Wall. They held the Wu Sangui gate under the pretext of a reconnaissance raid without arousing suspicion among the border guards. Scout detachments often went deep into the Jurchen territory to have constant data on the deployment of their detachments. And so the commander from the Middle Kingdom with the prince of the northern barbarians sat down on the carpet of regular negotiations. Contrary to custom, the prince neglected the treat, and the only exception was a bowl of fruit and a jug with some kind of spicy drink. What caused this urgency, dear prince? asked Wu Sangui, having tasted the drink and reclined on the pillows. The Dragon sat, frowning, he didn’t like the situation too much, but he had to endure it. Finally, he parted his lips and said: - The situation has transformed, Commander ... Everything is a little different from how it was back on the moon...

- What happened within this world that moved mountains and turned rivers back and that I did not notice? Dragon chuckled. - Recently, I am not just the prince of my country. I am now the Prince Regent ... But that was already serious! Wu Sangui tensed: it is one thing to negotiate with an enemy commander. Here many omissions and even extraordinary decisions are appropriate, so long as it is in

favour of the military company. It is quite another thing to come to an agreement with a person directly related to the management of the state and make government decisions! This already smacks of great diplomacy, and does the commander of the army now have something to offer or accept any proposals. After all, otherwise, the case smacks of high treason. And this is the death penalty for him and his family ... It is enough that the uncle deserted from the country, praise to Heaven, that the Emperor has not yet got his hands on all this one word: Time of Troubles. And when were the times in the Middle Kingdom different? All these doubts were reflected on the face of Wu Sangui. The prince smiled thinly with understanding. “Nothing has changed, Commander. Yes, Bogdokhan Abakhai has died, may the fat fields in the sky and countless flocks of horses accept him ... Hosho Qingwan Jirgalan and I have been appointed regents of his nine-year-old son Fulin, the heir to the throne. Of course, I am only the “second shezheng wang”, but that does not mean that this is the case in reality. Jirgalan is an excellent commander, a brave swashbuckler, but he is lingering, like a groom at a wedding

... In the highest circles of the state, they also call me the “uncle of the emperor”, which, you must it, adds weight to me ... So that You may well consider that young Fulin himself speaks with you through my lips. “That’s what worries me,” Wu Sangui muttered, but the prince heard his words.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

Zhu Yujian, Great Huangdi of the Celestial Empire, rustling yellow robes, walked from the Hall of Ceremonies to the chambers of his daughter. It was a hard day, and there was a light rain outside from morning until late evening, which made the palace damp and cold. The hearths were lit in the late afternoon - they saved coal, and this made the bulk of the palace cold and uncomfortable.

Recently, Yujian has constantly been feeling some kind of anxiety or malaise. I slept badly, and it was even worse during the day when many petitioners and

advisers were annoying with stupid ideas and suggestions. It engulfs the western provinces in the flames of uprisings, and they propose to cover the ceremonial hall with new silks. They say that the old ones have already become boring, both for the inhabitants of the palace and the overseas ambassadors. He is looking for funds to arm an army capable of stopping and defeating the rebels, and they demand gold from him for a new uniform for the palace guards. Even these damned eunuchs, everywhere sticking their curious noses, cannot advise him where to get the money if they have not received the due taxes from half of the country to the treasury for a couple of years? All the tax collectors fled or hid, frightened by the mood of the rebels, many of whom used the riot to pay off their offenders. Dignitaries were hanged in cities and villages, although, according to rumours, this one, how is he there? .. Zicheng forbids his soldiers to fight with civilians. Although they probably lie ... Why would a murderer and rapist suddenly flare up with such complacency? Increasingly, the Emperor’s thoughts turned to the first execution of the prisoners. The blood streaming along the road and the dull groans of those awaiting their Fate alternately floated in his mind. Now the prophecies of his teacher did not seem so unrealisable to him, and the feeling that he would have to wash in blood did not leave him now. In front of the princess’s chambers were two eunuch guards who parted as he approached. Yujian pushed open the massive door and entered almost silently ... It was a late autumn night in the yard, the wards of little Jinggua, although what kind of “little” beauty is already fifteen years old ... Soon, it’s time; to get married! But for him, she will forever remain little Jinxiao ... He walked over to her bed and quietly sat down on the chair next to her bed. Outside the window, an endless, already boring autumn rain rustled, but, oddly enough, in this room, it brought only calmness and pacification. Recently, the Emperor began to often visit his daughter, just sit, talk, or invite her with her mother for a walk on the waters of the Lake Palace. They often walked together in the parks of the Beautiful View Mountain, iring the beauties of the Great Capital opening from there. Jinhua slept snoring in her sleep. Only Heaven knows what she is dreaming of on this peaceful autumn evening ... The Emperor smiled, straightened the blanket of sheep’s wool, gently stroked the princess’s pitch-dark hair that was scattered over pillows filled with swan’s down. Sleep, my beauty, he thought, and let not all the troubles of this evil, cruel world touch you. Here, behind the walls of the Forbidden City, under protecting loyal troops, you will always be safe; even if it goes to dust, half of the Celestial Empire will burn in the fires of wars.

Dynasty Min is immortal, which means I destine you for a happy life. Zhu Yujian carefully got up and walked out of his daughter’s quarters. Immediately outside the door, Wang Cheng’en grabbed him by the elbow, and he was the only one in this world allowed to touch the person of the Emperor like that, unceremoniously. Yujian habitually pulled his hand, straightened the hem of the regal robe, assumed a haughty expression on his face. The Supreme Eunuch, of course, is an honorary title, but you shouldn’t forget your correct place. This is what my mother once taught, ing the “dictatorship of eunuchs” under one of his predecessors. I they all finished badly. So let them not forget that the mercy of the Emperors is unstable, like the autumn weather in the Capital.

Chapter 14

Shaanxi Province.

Xi’an. Luo Yang, ed by the arm of the faithful Baozhei, entered the large hall of the viceroy’s palace in Xi’an, transformed by the new Great Huangdi, the Son of Heaven and the Father of the People, the founder of the Da Shun dynasty, Li Zicheng, into his temporary throne room. The old philosopher walked with difficulty: after the last trip, his legs did not obey him well - his age and the consequences of a severe cold suffered on the way affected. At the sight of the master, Zicheng jumped up from a massive armchair, which stood on a hastily cut and carpeted plinth and depicted a throne, and, taking a few quick steps towards the mentor, intercepted him from his wife and sat him on the soft pillows of the guest sofa. The sage nodded graciously and chuckled. - Here, finally, the moment has come when now, without your help, I cannot even take a step ... “Well, unlike me at one time, who was completely alone in this crazy world, you have your beautiful Baozhei, who will not let you disappear anyway,” Li joked, sitting down next to his friend. His faithful friend bowed and cautiously left the hall. Old friends were left alone. “So it happened,” the philosopher’s voice rustled under the arches of the hall, like a gentle spring breeze over the neighbouring hills. - You are now the Great Huangdi, and behind your back is a truly vast army. And how does it feel? Is this what you have dreamed of all these years? “To be honest,” Zicheng laughed, removing from his head a gold crown cast by local jewellers in the imperial’s manner, the real one, and presented to the commander on the day of his declaration by the Emperor as gratitude for the abolition of heavy taxes, “To be honest, then I dreamed not of power, but of the opportunity to live like this for some time, in a permanent home, and not in a wet and tattered tent. Just think, old man, you and I spent fifteen years in campaigns and battles. Aren’t you tired of this? The old man closed his eyelids, was silent for a long time ... Then he whispered:

- What does home mean for a soul that has lost its bearings in this world? - I do not understand you ... - A person should be above worldly goods and joys, - pro said Luo Yang. - Only then will he comprehend the full depth of the heavenly plan. Especially one who is determined to be a son of Heaven. He does not belong to himself and his desires. He belongs to Heaven, and through it - to his people. After all, by definition, he is his father. And being a father is very difficult, believe me ... “You don’t have children,” Li Zicheng was surprised, pulling back and looking at the mentor anew. He shook his head. - Once upon a time, I also had a family; there were a son and a wife. We lived in the north of Gansu, in a small village almost on the border with the barbarian territory. But during one of the Jurchen invasions, they died, they were hacked to death by some barbarian horseman ... Since then, I have been wandering around the world hoping to find a new family. So you became my son, and dear Baozhei tried to replace my lost wife. And she succeeded, it seems to me. The old pain is gone. But now the people of the Celestial Empire are taking my second son - you, Li ... And you know: I am so glad to have lost. For the first time in my life, I’m thrilled about something, and you won’t believe ...

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial chambers in the palace.

Yujian was crying ... If someone caught the young Emperor at this moment, he would be speechless once and for all! Tears on the gases of Huangdi himself, Living Thousands of Lives! And, perhaps, he would even be filled with pity for the man, on whose shoulders at such an early age the heavy burden of running a vast state fell. And I would be severely disappointed if I found out that the Emperor’s tears flowing down the powder of his cheeks were not caused by pity for those millions of peasants and artisans dying of hunger, not for those who perished in battles with the army of insurgent soldiers, not for their families, in which day after day sad news comes from the west. Not! The Great Emperor wept from impotence ... He did not an episode in the history of his country when the head of state could not find a way out of a crisis. Riots in the provinces drowned in blood, razed enemy fortresses to the ground, wiped out entire empires from the face of the Earth. Yes, it happened to the rulers of the Celestial Empire from time to time to make compromises with the same Jurchens, for example, but after some time, the Celestial Empire still took what

hers and even a hundredfold was! Shanxi province. The army of Li Zicheng, Emperor Da Shun.

Li Zicheng rode unhurriedly at the head of his personal equestrian wei. Another city laid down its arms without even trying to resist. People poured into the streets, throwing handfuls of rice at the feet of his horse - this is how ordinary people tried to express their love and respect to Emperor Da Shun.

A joyful human sea was agitated around. People were in no hurry to disperse until they saw with their own eyes their benefactor, who had freed them from the bondage of the rich bureaucrats and princes-oppressors. Along the narrow streets, there are continuous joyful faces, not a single gloomy look! And suddenly, in a dissonance, something like a tub of icy spring water on a furious summer afternoon - several naked bodies hung right on the crossbar of the gate of a small inn ... Emperor Da Shun jabbed his whip in their direction, asked dully: - Who is it? Liu Xin, a wonderful poet and talented first commander, commander of the shock of a thousand archers: - Marauders, my Emperor! I tried to rob Myron. population, hanged for the edification of others ... Li Zicheng winced in annoyance. - What are they missing? Gold, stones, clothes? They have the chief thing is freedom! The rest is all dust ... You cannot take wealth to the forefathers in the Underworld, but it depends on how properly you behave on this earth, how your ancestors will meet you there. “Sovereign,” Li Guo, who came to the rescue, entered the conversation, “human nature cannot be changed at once. What a sin to conceal here: many have ed us in the desire to change their lives at once, filling their pockets tighter now, and not in the future that is drawn to you. the same Cao, the Old Muslim ... How are these different from them? Yes, nothing... - It also scares me - the Emperor muttered, turning the horse away from the unsightly sight and letting it lightly trot along the street. People hurried to disperse, giving way to the procession; he nodded to the right and the left with a condescending smile. - How many will we have to hang until the rest understand that robbing even the rich, they are on the same board with those against whom they are fighting I don’t know, Lee,” replied the nephew quietly, who rode stirrup to stirrup with him and therefore itted in a conversation not befitting familiarity situations. - But, believe me, it was a

necessary measure. They were adding only extra popularity to you among the people. “In our position, when we only own a small piece of the Middle Kingdom, popularity will not be superfluous,” Zicheng muttered just as quietly. Do not think that I blame someone for this execution. All this is just thinking out loud ... It Has accumulated over the last Moons ... Li Guo nodded and the procession continued.

There was a meeting with local artisans and merchants, such Zicheng held in every city taken to the sword or voluntarily surrendered. Together they had to build a new state, so the Emperor hurried to enlist the of all his new subjects. And those were in a hurry to express their loyalty to the new government. And while they found a common language. After all, whatever one may say, it was their power. Shanhaiguan Fortress. Eastern Army. The snow has already melted even from the clones of the mountains, and near the Shanhaiguan fortress, the first buds appeared on the trees. It was the first quarter of the month of the Dragon. The first pick-ups moved towards the Capital: it was time to replenish food supplies, which had been depleted during the long cold winter. The commander of the Eastern Army, Wu Sangui, stood on the wall of the fortress and looked to the east, where a new spring day was flaring up when a messenger from the army headquarters ran up to him and, bowing sharply, held out a scroll tied with a ribbon and sealed with the Emperor’s seal. The commander shuddered, his heart ached with a presentiment of misfortune and something else, irreparable ... He took the scroll and dismissed the warrior with a nod of his head. As soon as he disappeared into the aisle of the stairs, Wu Sangui broke the seal with one movement and unfolded the scroll. After the very first words, his hands dropped, and it took him some time to put his boiled thoughts in order at once. The commander of the Capital’s garrison wrote, they were familiar from their t service in the army of the west in their youth. An honest and reckless commander, who did not lose a single soldier on campaigns in situations not related to combat, who knows the service and knows how to carry it ... This is very important: to know and be able, since knowledge is not always associated with practical skills in army men, such as at these bastards from the Capital... Wu Sangui leaned his elbows on the stones between the two battlements of the wall, fixed his gaze into the distance, to where the ancient Capital of the Celestial Empire was hidden behind thousands of whether forests and rivers ... My father remained there, categorically, according to the same commander, who refused to leave the city along with many refugees to the

South. The old soldier considered it beneath his dignity to give in to some peasants and, frankly, did not particularly believe that the bulk of the Capital could open the gates to some crooks. Both the concubines and the sisters remained there ... the memory of childhood and everything that we defend, meaning by such a worn-out and used to the place and out of place concept as the Motherland. Wu Sangui suddenly felt himself shaking, although the morning was quite warm. He wrapped himself more tightly in his marching cloak, straightened his sword in a sling, and, having decided, rushed into the office building. It was time to decide. Dorgon was wise, predicting the hordes of this scoundrel under the walls of the Capital. Now all that remains is to decide for yourself with whom to stay? With the Emperor and, most likely, die under the walls of the ancient city, or with the Jurchens, and then for sure, lose loved ones and the remnants of military honour. But to become a prince in the camp of the barbarians ... Both decisions promised nothing good for the commander of the Eastern Army, now they had to choose the lesser of two evils. And Wu Sangui was afraid to it even to himself that he may have already made his choice. A choice that might destroy his country. But, oddly enough, it will save her, but the former Celestial Empire will certainly never be.

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

Yujian scanned the assembled councillors in the Hall. It was almost a rabble; those who remained did not escape from the Capital. Some because there was not enough money for it. Others, on the contrary, had too much right here to throw it like this to the plundering of the barbarians, and it doesn’t matter - the northerners or their own, people from Shaanxi and other western lands. The chief thing that united them all was the fear that burned in their eyes. They felt like slaughtering sheep, helpless cattle in the slaughterhouse. They knew nothing in this life, except how to live at the expense of the Imperial Treasury, to hang out every day in the endless chambers of the Forbidden City and gossip in its hidden corners. He knew it. And they understood it. And all this horde of mediocrity and cowards had to save the empire crumbling before our eyes. It doomed the country. The Emperor decided not to wait for proposals, which, for sure, would further disappoint him in the mental abilities of his subjects, so he took the assembly into his own hands:

- The Celestial Empire still has one way. Once again, he tried to look them all in the eyes because he was talking, in fact, about their future. Let it be more bleak, still vague ... But there is still no other to be seen. But they only looked at him devotedly, no, not even at him, but at his imperial crown, and waited. As they once expected handouts as titles and titles. - We cannot remove the army of Wu Sangui from the north, then the Jurchens will already be here. We cannot hold the Capital for a long time; for this, we have too little strength. We cannot, for this very reason, meet the enemy army in the field - for the same reason. Therefore, you will not have to negotiate with the enemy. About what? We don’t know yet. “Yes, sir,” Zhang Xing bowed.

- My people are ready. Just give the order. “This will not be the case,” Li Zicheng chuckled. He prepared to wait. ... But, oddly enough, everything was resolved unexpectedly quickly. No sooner had the commander of the peasant army returned to the camp when Li Guo jumped up to him, a hot horse: - Lord, they shot our ambassadors at the entrance to the outer wall! - Did they not consider the banners, the sweat with which they moved? - No, Emperor, they were aiming at the standard-bearers, and then they killed the embassy. And mocked from the walls

Li Zicheng, Emperor Da Shun turned to Zhang Xing: - No one wants to speak from the standpoint of reason; everyone loves to side with force. Prepare for an assault. We’ll take this city tomorrow, whatever the cost. Li Guo said carefully: And Wu Sangui’s Eastern Army? Don’t you take it into anymore? Li Zicheng chuckled. - Do you see this army in front of us? They are out of the game. Whoever has the Capital in his hands dictates the conditions of the game, my boy. And here we have to be on time. Early in the morning of the twentieth day of the Dragon month of the year Jia-Shen, the first year of the Yongchang era, the army of the-Eyed Emperor, as his enemies called him, began an assault on the Capital of the Celestial Empire ... Only now did Yujian hear the sounds of battle within the Outer City! And he realised he was left alone ... “But just yesterday these brutes swore to me they were ready to fight on the streets of the city and not betray their homeland! - exclaimed bitterly the Emperor.

The old eunuch whispered: - It was yesterday, oh, Great Huangdi ... And today they fled with the major part of your army, and it’s time for you to flee yourself ... - Where should I run? - confused Yujian, blankly looking at the eunuch. - Me, the Emperor, from my palace? - At least, to the north, to Wu Sangui ... you can hide in his fortress until everything settles down here ... The Emperor got up, stood for a while in silence, listening to the sounds of battle on the outskirts. - As I understand it, they surround us ... Follow me, - he nodded to the eunuch and moved to his chambers. He decided. O was now completely calm. In his chambers, the Emperor took off all his jewellery, threw the imperial robes right on the floor, put on a simple yellow robe. He took a jug and drank several cups of tart wine in a row. He stood in silence, then asked: - Tell me, Wang, how bad is it? The old eunuch, grey with fear and uncertainty, bowed:

- My lord, climbed Mount Jingshan ... The enemy has already penetrated the inner city. The soldiers of the garrison show almost no resistance. In a couple of hours, the Forbidden City will also fall. The Emperor looked at him sadly: - So it’s over ... Let’s go to the Empress ... My lord, I climbed Mount Jingshan ... The enemy has already penetrated the inner city. The soldiers of the garrison show almost no resistance. In a couple of hours, the Forbidden City will also fall. The Emperor looked at him sadly: - So it’s over ... Let’s go to the Empress ... In the chambers of the Empress, besides her, gathered three sons of the Emperor from other wives, as well as maids ... When the Emperor entered, everyone except his Empress fell on their faces ... The Emperor loosened the belt of his robe, deftly made a loop out of it, threw it over the lower branch of an old knotty ash tree, under whose shade he once loved to tell the tales of little Jingua, and before that he spoke of her mother’s love when she was not yet the Empress. .. That’s the wheel of Fate! Everything returns to normal ... The Emperor grinned sadly, stuck his neck into the noose, and stepped into the void from the small bench that was always waiting for its Emperor in the canopy of rose bushes. And now she served him one last service.

Wang Cheng’s shuddered as he heard the soft crunch of the cervical vertebrae, opened his convulsively clenched eyelids ... The Emperor’s body swayed

slightly in the morning breeze blowing from the west. In his numb hand, the eunuch saw a yellow piece of cloth, tore it out of numb fingers and ran his eyes through uneven hieroglyphs ... On plump cheeks, darkened by soot flying from the sky, tears made light lines ... “The officials have betrayed their Emperor,” wrote the Great Huangdi, who left them in his last message to people. “The nobles served their master too unscrupulously. They are all worthy of death, and it would be an act of just retribution to carry out this act. All of them need to be executed to teach the rest to faithfully serve their sovereigns - those who will come after them. The people do not deserve to be punished because they are not guilty of anything, and mistreating them would be sheer injustice. I lost the State - the legacy of my ancestors. The imperial family, which was continued by so many worthy ancestors before me, is opposed to me. I want to close my eyes so as not to see the destroyed Empire and once my country under the rule of a tyrant. I give up life because I don’t want to owe it to the last and most despicable of my subjects. I can no longer show my face in front of those who, being my children and my subjects, are now my enemies and traitors. “. Wang Cheng’s, sobbing convulsively, pinned the flap to the margin of the former Emperor’s robe with a pin, as instructed, and dropped it at his feet. The last Huangdi of the Ming Dynasty who ed away was only thirty-six years old ... And with him, an entire era in the history of the Marvellous Country went into the past. But so far, no one knew about it.

Chapter 15

Capital of the Celestial Empire. The army of Li Zicheng, Emperor Da Shun.

Emperor Da Shun sat in the saddle opposite the gates of the ancient Capital and looked at the city with a mixed feeling of delight and timidity. On the one hand, it was the completion of a long journey and the work of his entire life. It is one thing to proclaim oneself as Emperor somewhere out there, on the outskirts of the Empire, but it is quite another thing to appear in such a capacity under the arches of the Great City that survived ten dynasties. He had already been informed about Yujian’s suicide, and loyal people also reported that the deceased had sent his three sons away from the city on the eve of his death, but since the city was densely surrounded by advancing troops from all sides, they disappeared unnoticed. Could not.

Therefore, it is necessary to look for the princes somewhere in the city, and Li Zicheng has already given the corresponding order to his commanders. The walls of the Outer City were approaching, overhanging the column of horsemen ... No one tried to shoot at them: the large enough garrison mostly preferred to take their feet away from the battle, only individual detachments fought, many were captured, the new Emperor ordered to save all of them lives. He did not want to begin his reign with bloodshed. There was enough blood already in abundance. In front of the massive wooden gate, covered with wrought iron strips, bearing the traces of the recent assault as traces of stone cannonballs, bullets and burning burns, Li Zicheng slowed down his horse and turned towards the former blacksmith, and now the commander of his personal wei, Liu Zongmin: - I hope we will bring my order to the troops: “No robberies and violence! For insubordination - death on the spot! “- Yes, the Emperor - bowed a huge warrior, similar to a bear in his armour: the same broad-shouldered, shaggy, thick black beard betrayed his already fierce face with an even more repulsive expression. - Everything will be done exactly. There was little difference in his

voice that should be present in a conversation with the Son of Heaven and the Father of the People, and Zicheng noted this. True, now he was inclined to attribute this to the general excitement and slight euphoria from this truly grandiose victory. The procession set off again, the first ranks stepping under the arches of the gate tower. For a while, the light dimmed, and when the grey glow of a rainy spring evening burst into his eyes again, Li Zicheng, with wide eyes, watched the picture that shook him to the depths of his soul. Along the streets, there were thousands of townspeople, dressed in different colours, of practically all classes ... There were both artisans and peasants who came to the Capital on their own business, merchants who were distinguished by good clothes and gold guild badges on their chests, imperial officials, dressed like peacocks and as if competing in who is more to hit the new lord of the Sky with the luxury of their clothes. There were also soldiers of the garrison from those who voluntarily laid down their arms and were preparing to swear allegiance to the new government ... And they all held lighted candles in their hands ... A string of lights stretched from the gates of the Outer City to the citadel of the Capital - the Forbidden City ... When Emperor Da Shun approached, people fell on their faces, burying their faces in the ground, but the warrior’s sharp gaze seen pieces of paper or cloth pasted on their foreheads, decorated with two hieroglyphs - “obedient people”... Someone more agile had already hung the inscription “The first year of the Yongchang era” on the gate, and in some places - on the fences, on the walls of houses, on carts, the inscriptions were visible: “Ten thousand years of life to the Shuntian prince!”. Shu’an prince ... the Nobody, called him like that ... Zicheng showed Li Guo’s inscription: - Here it is, the love of the people! Nicknames are given only to favourites... Soon I will collect them in a collection, - he laughed, and his nephew smiled, not forgetting to look around vigilantly. He was now afraid not of ambushes: he was informed that Dorgon’s spies were ed in the Capital, as at home ... Finally, the palace... Li Zicheng stopped his horse at the wide steps of the front door, dismounted, silently stared at the place for a while, which he had never even imagined in his wildest dreams ... He turned to Li Guo: - The ancients say correctly: dream with caution - do some dreams have a habit of coming true? - Are you dissatisfied with something? - the nephew was surprised, looking around in bewilderment. “Isn’t that what you’ve been striving for all these years? Emperor Da Shun slowly climbed the steps to the entrance. No one met him, offered no resistance, did not greet him. The vast palace seemed to have died out ... just a golden bowl dropped by someone on the stone steps was rolling under the gusts of wind. Shanhaiguan Fortress. Eastern Army. Wu Sangui fiddled with a message from the Capital, conveyed to him by a loyal person ... In the eyes of the commander of the Eastern Army, there was unspoken

pain: The Capital had fallen ... His father, the once-famous commander Wu Xiang, was arrested along with all his household ... He was not touched during a time of general executions of ers of the Minsk dynasty but demanded to persuade their son - him, U Sangui! - to go over to the side of the Da Shun dynasty! And when he refused, the entire family was arrested and thrown into dungeons. A certain Liu Zongmin, once a dirty artisan, a blacksmith from the distant outskirts of the Empire forgotten by Heaven itself, and now the commander of the new Emperor’s personal wei, took him, Wu Sangui, his beloved concubine! Yes, demons are with her. You never know, and there will still be women in his life ... But the cruel thought of his own betrayal haunted the commander, the thought that he could probably prevent this from entering the Capital and prevent these filthy peasants from stepping on its pavements.

But the late Yujian practically made him an offer to act on his side: he pardoned his father, removing his brother, Zu Dashou, from him in disgrace for fleeing to the Jurchens, allocated a considerable advance to his army, and even conveyed the order to confer upon him the aristocratic title “bo”! But Wu Sangui chickened out ... No, he didn’t, no ... He acted wisely! It was practically impossible to defeat the army of these crooks then! What does his one hundred and forty thousand fighters mean against almost a million at Zicheng’s hand? Ashes under the feet of a traveller on a country road! They would grind his shelves and not choke! And so he kept a fully combat-ready army under his command, perhaps the only organised military force in the country today. Dynasties rise and perish, the Great Country remains. And she has someone who can, occasionally, take the reins into their own hands. It is in vain that Dorgon thinks that the commander of the Eastern Army is in his hands, not at all! He, Wu Sangui, also has his own interests, and they are at odds with the wishes of the Jurchen prince. Now, when the powerful Dorgon cavalry stands on the border, you can try to confuse the head of this village upstart, and then quietly grind his “army” and put on the throne the heir of the Ming Emperor, Prince Tsilan, it remains only to snatch him from the clutches of this “monster from Shaanxi”... The boy is very young, will dance to the tune of the one who elevated him to the throne. And again, this is how you can win the glory of the Savior of the Fatherland ... In the meantime, you just have to listen to what both sides offer and do it your own way. This is what his wise uncle, Zu Dashou, once taught him ... and he will do so. And hardly anyone would call such tactical move treason. Wu Sangui shuddered. Treason? Who came up with this word?

What does one, two, one hundred, even a thousand lives mean when the Fate of empires is being decided? When the Fate of millions is at stake! He could not save the Capital and Yujian, but he can save the Celestial Empire. Was it in vain that he played these dangerous games with the rogue Dorgon? A cunning beast, but without the help of the Eastern Army and he cannot bring down the new “emperor”, he will simply wash him in blood, trample him into the road dust ... Still, a threefold superiority even over his army, united with the Dorgon cavalry, does not leave them a chance ...

For now ... But what will happen next? Somewhere in the North. Dorgon army camp. Prince Regent Dorgon listened to the messenger from the Shanhaiguan Fortress and slowly grew furious ... This son of a jackal, the god-damned commander of the Eastern Army, went over to the side of the self-styled rebel emperor! Who would have thought! A detachment of only some twenty thousand unskilled peasants approached the fortress, and he had already lifted his paws to the sky! So what if his father was captured by the usurper Li Zicheng? At stake is the Fate of an entire state; what are the scores! But he, Dorgon, offered him everything: titles, money, actual power in a new country that would be wisely ruled by a dynasty of Manchu rulers ... Fool! - Wait a minute, so you say that the second detachment is being pulled up to the fortress, right? - suddenly dawned on Dorgon; he even sat up on the pillows. The generals crowding around the commander looked at him in bewilderment. In their opinion, it was necessary to immediately attack the fortress until its garrison was strengthened by unknown forces hurrying from the enemy capital. The messenger from the fortress, smeared with road dust and smell of his own sweat and horse sweat, nodded convulsively. Dragon burst out laughing, resting his fists on his hips and swaying back and forth; he laughed and wiped away his tears ... His commanders listened to him in respectful silence, trying to hide their surprise deeper: they knew that behind this ostentatious good-naturedness and cheerfulness hides a cunning and cruel mind and understood that their leader had already matured some kind of plan; he had been busy with this worthless, stupid southerner for so long? And they were not wrong. Laughing, Dorgon, groaning, got up, wiped his sweaty face with the hem of a luxurious robe, shook his head: - Rotten, gullible idiot ... So, you say, he doesn’t know about the second unit yet? - No, sir, - wheezed the messenger who still had not regained his breath after a long journey. Dorgon nodded to some of his thoughts ... - He left the fortress to this Tang Tun, the commander of the first detachment, and he with his troops retreated to the west

and stopped a few dozen from Shanhaiguan. - Well! - Now no longer hiding his bursting delight, the Prince Regent rubbed his hands. - So tell him about the second detachment, but give the case in such a way that he, allegedly, will go around him and is going to strike from the rear. Let’s see how he reacts to such news...

Capital of the Celestial Empire. Imperial Palace.

The news that the troops of Tang Tong and Bai Kuanien were defeated and that the fortress was again in the hands of Wu Sangui found Emperor Da Shun when he was istering the judgment. The day before, he executed five hundred of the one and a half thousand former imperial officials, the houses of the rest were gutted and plundered by the soldiers, the former henchmen of Yujian themselves were subjected to public humiliation and insults, many of them died ... Well, what can you do, this is the lot of the vanquished ... And now half a thousand soldiers from the personal guard of the former Emperor were kneeling before him.

Li Zicheng sat on a throne, erected on a hastily put together platform in the middle of the square of the Outer City and looked at the cropped, not covered with the obligatory chignons, the back of the heads of the prisoners who fell in front of him and listened to the unkind messenger from the north with an impenetrable face. When he fell silent, Emperor Da Shun briefly asked: - Tang Tun told him about the fact that old Wu San is in my hostage? - Yes, Living Ten Thousand Lives ... At first, he agreed with everything and even surrendered the fortress, and then attacked the detachment of Bei Guan’en, who was marching and defeated it in a couple of hours with superior forces, and then returned to the fortress and defeated unsuspecting Tang Tong ... He demands to deliver to him the heir to the throne of Prince Tsilan, the eldest of those captured by you. Otherwise, he threatens to go to the Capital! “Does he ... demand?” Li Zicheng raised his eyebrows in calm surprise. His friends standing next to him involuntarily backed away: they had already learned the newly gained habits of the Emperor. From now on, hearing the bad news, Zicheng did not lose his

temper, before, did not chop everything that came to him, with the faithful Jiang, did not vent his anger at those close to him, no, he curbed his violent nature and behaved like lord way. He was just slightly dissatisfied with a short word or gesture. But what followed ... And now he just raised his eyebrows and quietly turned to the envoy from the Shanhaiguan fortress: “But you didn’t tell me everything, did you? Dump out all the bad news, boy, make your soul and mine easier ... With trembling hands, the warrior took out from his bosom a crumpled piece of silk, rolled into a tube and tied with a white ribbon - a symbol of mourning. It was sealed by the personal seal of the commander of the Eastern Army. Emperor Da Shun took the scroll from the warrior’s hands, broke the seal and opened it ... Zicheng’s face gained a surprised expression, which was replaced, however, by the same mask of cold, calculating cruelty befitting a judge:

- Where does it come from? Li Guo came up from behind and looked over his shoulder at Emperor Da Shun’s scroll. - Wow! Is he even ready to do that? “Apparently,” Li Zicheng whispered. - If he asks for forgiveness from his own father, dooming him to death, cheat, he decided everything for himself. Well, by doing so, he also untied my hands. Emperor Da Shun raised his voice a little, not doubting that his heralds would immediately announce everything around the square of many To the crowd of townspeople - These - he waved a handkerchief, clamped in his hand, towards the kneeling guards - to take them out of the outer walls and chop off their heads. This is our will ... A restrained groan ed through the crowd. Soldiers immediately jumped up to the former guards of Yujian and, grabbing their hands tied behind their backs, dragged them away from the square to carry out the Emperor’s sentence. - And the family of the traitor and traitor, the commander of the Eastern Army, General Wu Sangui, who was sold to foreign barbarians, should be executed publicly tonight, all their property should be transferred to the treasury ... And prepare the army. We head north. It’s time to end this abscess on the body of the Celestial Empire ... Did the Yellow Tiger answer my message? - He will come out with us in this battle ... But this is not a promise of further cooperation. - Is it possible to doubt his intentions? Li Guo averted his gaze, hiding the doubts that had settled in his heart. The Emperor got up and, without looking at the attendants, stooped, left the platform. The burden of recent deaths was pressing on his shoulders ... Li Guo only shook his head but did not argue with the lord’s decision. He understood intellectually that he simply had no other choice. As for the heart, it

was not so simple for the nephew of Emperor Da Shun.

Yes. The Emperor really had no other choice, and he perfectly understood this. The bloodshed will not end until his army suppresses Wu Sangui’s warriors. Doubt sounded in the chest of the grand commander with aching pain. For a moment, the loud and perky exclamations of local boys attracted his attention.

He glanced at a flock of kids who were merrily kicking something by the road. The Emperor’s heart suddenly pounded with sharp pain. A wounded, exhausted hawk fought under the sticks and feet of inane children. Li Zicheng turned his gaze to the sky and took a deep breath. Has luck really turned away from him this time? .. Then he cut off half of his marching robe and thus destroyed the status of the commander of the Ming dynasty. And by breaking the arrow, he freed himself from his previous oath ...

“How easy it is to change the work of life and the memory of ancestors,” Emperor Da Shun muttered. - Broke a piece of wood and - that’s it! You are free, like a bird in flight ... And what about these rags on your armour after all? - They say that Dorgon demanded that all the warriors of Wu Sangui shave their beards and leave their braids in the Jurchen manner, but the general has nowhere to get so many barbers at once, so they did with these three stripes. Three - san is part of Wu Sangui’s name, and white colour, in his opinion, means that he mourns the lost Ming dynasty. - Grieving, you say? - Li Zicheng hissed angrily; those around shrugged their shoulders chilly, so much anger was in the voice of their commander. “He doesn’t even care that two of the three princes of Minsk’s blood are with me ...

Bring Tsilan to me, let him watch with me how the last Minsk commander will be destroyed. I will watch the fight from Miaogang Hill. He whipped his horse and galloped in the showed direction, followed by several dozen riders of personal protection. On the nineteenth day of the month of the Serpent of the Year of the Monkey, two vast armies met in mortal combat. Li Zicheng, not

relying on chance, struck at once with all his might. His advantage over the army of Wu Sangui was almost threefold - the cunning Dorgon was in no hurry to put his armoured cavalry under attack, watching from the side as these “barbarianssoutherners” exterminate each other. Already in the middle of the battle, Wu Sangui realised that a little more - and he could not resist. Yes, one hundred and fifty thousand perfectly trained professional warriors, hardened in battles, fought under his command. But for a long time serving in the garrison of a distant fortress, his soldiers relaxed a little, it was not always possible to maintain proper shape, and now it affected. And the enemy’s numerical superiority was too great. He waited for the reinforcements promised by Dorgon to arrive, sent a messenger for a messenger to him, but there was still no help. And all the hope now was only that this insanely long day would end, and the long-awaited break in the battle would come.

The fight continued until the sun, tired of watching streams of blood pouring down to the ground, rolled over the horizon. Tired, beaten troops crawled into their camps in order to converge again in the morning. Both commanders put the last reserves into action. Today the winner had to be determined who would receive everything: country, power, gold ... Li Zicheng was almost sure of his superiority. Behind him, on a dais, stood the army of the Yellow Tiger. He saw that the enemy, exhausted by yesterday’s battle, was suffering enormous losses and ordered with all the forces of his mighty cavalry to strike the left flank of Wu Sangui’s army, which was behind the major part of the army. At Sangui, he saw the danger late and did not have time to rebuild: the threat of encirclement hung over his army! And then the last reserve of Li Zicheng, his personal wei, arrived in time, the beating of the army, ready to wave, began ... At that moment, the mountains themselves trembled ... The fighting froze for a moment, and all their heads turned to the East: a vast cloud of dust swelled there. And after a while, like the demons of the steppes, the armoured cavalry of the Dorgon jumped out of it, the selected, battle-hardened, well-armed riders hit the now flank of the troops of Li Zicheng and overthrew him, turning him to flight!

Capital of the Celestial Empire.

On the last day of the month of Snake, the army of Emperor Da Shun left the Capital of the Celestial Empire. The exodus took place in silence. There were no mourners on the sides of the street. The dissatisfied had long gone to the Underworld of their ancestors, but there were no satisfied with the short but such stormy government of the new dynasty. Pogroms and violence, fires and murders were alive in the memory. The population was now waiting for the Army of Justice as a relief, as he hastily christened his army Wu Sangui, telling everyone he met he was taking the heir to the throne, the last prince of the Ming Dynasty, with him to the Capital.

This army stopped a day from the Capital and was in no hurry to occupy it, allowing the troops of the tyrant and usurper Li Zicheng to leave the city calmly. Li Zicheng rode on horseback in simple military armour, and only the imperial diadem shone with gold on the dull metal of the chain mail. His closest friends and associates rode alongside the founder of the Da Shun Dynasty. There were so few of them left: robbers dislike unlucky chieftains, and if yesterday they were ready to sing their idol of the health resort in all taverns and taverns, then as soon as the tiger stumbled at least once, many of yesterday’s “hawkers” immediately took their detachments and left the Capital. Away from sin. And now they were waiting to see who would win this battle and whose side to take next ... Only forty-two days Emperor Da Shun ruled in the Capital, he made few people happy, he now had even more enemies, but he did the chief thing - the Celestial Empire will never be the same. The Ming dynasty ruled for three hundred years, and this - forever. The Middle Kingdom - that is what the Minsk Emperors called the land of the Celestial Empire - is unshakable, like mountains, like Heaven itself. What’s up. But then an unknown person came, and as if by magic, the walls of the Forbidden Purple City collapsed, it opened the gates, the “eternal dynasty” fell. What awaits the people of the Celestial Empire now? Unknown to anyone ... Meanwhile, while Wu Sangui was waiting in his camp for the orders of his new sovereign, Dorgon’s warriors secretly infiltrated the Capital. Without a single shot, without a single victim, the soldiers of the “eightbanner” troops, led by the prince-regent himself, occupied the Forbidden City and hung out, posing as local warriors, white flags on the walls - a sign of mourning for the deceased Emperor.

Even dignitaries “from the former” did not immediately understand that “barbarians-northerners” were walking along the corridors of the imperial palace, and only their habit of sitting “barbarously” on the floor, and not on chairs, betrayed Dorgon. And the very next day, Dorgon replaced the guards on all the walls. And the inhabitants of the Capital of the Celestial Empire realised that the irreparable had happened: the enemy occupied the city. According to the old habit, they immediately offered the invader the imperial throne ... And what, who just now did not sit on it, perhaps this one will stay no worse ... But Dorgon refused. He returned the officials to their places, ordering them to start work, and announced that a new Emperor would soon arrive in the Capital. He demanded that Wu Sangui give him the prince-heir. More and more “eight-banner” regiments entered the Capital when there was enough strength; Dorgon freed the Inner and Forbidden Cities from the local population, ordered the residents to shave their heads in the Jurchen manner, leaving a braid behind, and wear clothes only after the model of their country.

Thus ended the Jurchen conquest of the Celestial Empire by the forces of its own army. A bandage crossed the man’s face through his left eye - a trace of an old wound, but the eye that remained vigilantly scanned the surroundings of the path and noticed the stirring of the bushes on the left. Four jumped out of the bushes almost simultaneously, in the hands of two - strong gnarled clubs, the other two were more heavily armed - the serrated blades of dao swords that had not known leaving for a long time looked at the traveller’s side. The man grinned, adjusted his cloak so that the sight of the scabbard under it discouraged the “forest brothers” from looking for an easy meal here. And this had its effect: the robbers recoiled for a second, but then one of them, a healthy fellow, in whose hands a weighty sword looked like a light toothpick, suddenly looked closely and burst out laughing: - Look, tramps, whom Heaven itself sent us! The robbers looked at each other. They looked at the traveller looked at the speaker himself. The kid, mockingly bowing his head to his shoulder, stared at the er-by: - Didn’t you recognise me, dried shrimp? Or does one eye see poorly? I can stir your memory, brute ... He raised his sword, pointing it straight at the traveller’s chest. He asked in an even voice: - Do we know each other, chieftain? - And then, no! - the bully laughed. - True, Heaven sees, it was a long time ago ... Yes, and then you were not alone, with you, if my memory serves me, there was some old man with a stick ... The stranger smiled at some of his thoughts, then nodded ... - It was a long time ago ... - Yes, almost two decades ago - in the kid’s voice appeared-

there were evil notes. - Then your old man killed our chieftain, Liwei He, , in the Monkey’s year, here in Shaanxi, nearby ... The traveller thought for a second, ing, then his already stern face became completely scary, the thugs even backed away ... the black strip of fabric through his left eye especially strained them ...

The traveller took a step in the speaker’s direction and, with one sliding movement, drew his sword: - If you think that there are some omissions between us, then we will solve it instantly! Out of the corner of his eye, the stranger noticed some dangerous movement from the side to the left and, with a short stabbing motion, thrust the Jian along the middle of the blade into the side of the ugly club, which immediately knelt down, clamping the wound, and released the weapon. In the opposite motion, the traveller slashed his blade over the throat of the second “club man”, causing the blood to gush like a stream onto the first spring grass, and the robber collapsed at the feet of his supposed victim. The cheerleader froze in surprise with Tao at the ready: for a couple of moments, he did not doubt the outcome of the battle, but now there are only two of them against this undoubtedly experienced warrior ... And this is all different alignments! He was about to dive back into the bush, in the end, he ran away once, it will work out again, but then his friend, who had become skilled in tavern fights and another stabbing, pulled out his left hand from under his cloak and threw a knife at an enemy. Either the warrior was too tired, or he simply underestimated the enemies, but he missed the attack, and a long throwing knife with a bone hand stuck into his left side. The traveller fell to his knee, briskly tore the knife from a deep wound, when the owner of the blade rushed to him, and after him started fights. The offender had to die, so the law of the forest says. But the stranger, it seems, was no less familiar with the “forest code”, because he did not wait until his head was blown off with a sword, but with unexpected agility rolled to the right and sideways, which caused the attackers to catch only the wind, and then, without getting up, he cut his blade along the hamstrings of the knife thrower, which made him release the sword, thumping dully on the grass, and rolled, howling, along the path. The kid froze for a second, maintaining his balance after hitting the space, but then the enemy’s sword with a blow - from the bottom up - pierced his diaphragm and pierced his lungs ... Blood instantly foamed on the robber’s thick lips, the horror of misunderstanding that everything it’s already over ... But they immediately glazed over, and death came into its own. The traveller got up heavily, making a

couple of steps; with short jean blows, he finished those who still showed signs of life and stepped along the path. But then his strength left him, and he rolled down to a rustling stream in a small gully and froze, losing consciousness from the pain. He did not see a huge tiger watching him from the thicket ...