From a distance, a platoon of soldiers rode toward a fortified village bristling with barricades.
A soldier from the village ran towards the approaching platoon to greet Xiao Jie, the grand commandant of Luo Yang.
“General, the Fire Spears and the parameter defense are complete, now all we have to do is wait for Nian.”
Despite his hot-headed appearance, Xiao Jie always heeded the advice of Peng Xian, his long-time friend, and strategist. He found Nian’s behavior strange and unsettling.
“Do not let your guard down, soldiers!” Xiao Jie commanded, his voice firm.
“Equip Fire Spears to every squad leader and double the guard on every station!”
“Yes, General!” The soldier saluted and quickly ran off to relay Xiao Jie’s orders.
Xiao Jie then headed inside a house serving as their temporary war room, his mind racing with strategies and contingencies for the upcoming confrontation.
About an hour later, the ground started to tremble.
“Hmm…why would there be a tremor in this village…?” Xiao Jie wondered aloud, noting that this area had never experienced earthquakes before.
“Ah… again…” he heard a soldier mutter.
“When did these tremors first start?” Xiao Jie asked, overhearing the soldiers complaining.
“General, these tremors began about a month ago and occur two to five times daily,” a soldier replied.
“Why wasn’t this reported during the court meeting?!” Xiao Jie shouted, slamming his fist on the table in anger.
“General, the Magistrate of this town said it was of low importance, as the tremors did not significantly affect the village. Hence, it was not reported to the court,” the soldier explained.
“Who is the magistrate of this village?” Xiao Jie demanded.
“General, it is Magistrate Liang Wei,” the soldier responded.
“Bring me this person and all the information about him right now!” Xiao Jie ordered.
“Yes, General!” the soldier responded and quickly left to fulfill the command.
“What a fool. The significance of these tremors might be huge; they could be related to the abnormal behavior of Nian,” Xiao Jie mused.
“This person is either incompetent or has a motive. I must look into it as soon as possible. Either way, I will not let this go unpunished!”
About two hours later, in the evening, two soldiers dragged a man dressed in an official robe into a house, forcing him to kneel while they restrained him.
“Eek! G-greetings, G-grand Commandant, M-magistrate Liang Wei at y-your service!” Liang stammered, trembling with fear.
“Do you know the reason you are summoned?!” Xiao Jie demanded.
“Grand Commandant, I d-do not k-know!”
Liang Wei stuttered, clearly terrified.
“Why did you not report the tremors happening in this village?!” Xiao Jie’s voice thundered through the room.
“Grand Commandant, I f-f-figured that this w-was a s-small matter and—” Liang Wei began to explain.
“Enough!” Xiao Jie interrupted, his patience exhausted.
“Soldiers, remove his official robe and hat, and give him 50 lashes!”
The soldiers swiftly moved to strip Liang Wei of his official attire, a symbolic gesture signifying the removal of his authority and respect. Xiao Jie’s order was clear and decisive, reflecting his disdain for Liang Wei's negligence.
The magistrate's robe and hat represented the king, and it was customary to remove these symbols before punishing an official, to show that the punishment was not directed at the king himself but at the individual’s misconduct.
“Yes, General!” the soldier replied. He then removed Liang Wei’s robe and hat, pushed him onto the floor, and prepared a large wooden stick for lashing.
“P-please have mercy, Grand Commandant!” Liang Wei pleaded, his voice trembling.
“Tell me the truth or there will be worse punishment,” Xiao Jie warned.
“I-I-I don’t know a-anything, Grand Commandant!” Liang Wei stammered, clearly terrified.
“Start the punishment now!” Xiao Jie ordered.
“Argh!” Liang Wei screamed as the soldier lashed him with the wooden stick.
“Have mercy, Grand Commandant! Argh!” Liang Wei continued to scream and beg for mercy as his buttocks were relentlessly beaten.
Xiao Jie watched impassively, thinking to himself, Whether incompetent or with a motive, this punishment fits both cases. He did not stop the punishment.
“General, 50 lashes have been completed!” the soldier reported.
Liang Wei lay on the floor, whimpering in pain.
“Tell me again, why did you not report the tremors during the court meeting?” Xiao Jie demanded, his voice icy with controlled anger.
“P-please have m-mercy…" Liang Wei whimpered, his buttocks bleeding and swollen from the lashes.
“Soldiers! Prepare the finger clamp!” Xiao Jie ordered.
“Yes, General!” The soldiers brought out a tool with small wooden boards tied together, gaps between each for fingers to be inserted.
As the soldiers began to insert Liang Wei’s fingers into the clamp, he finally broke.
“W-wait, Grand Commandant! It was t-the R-right…ugh…” Before he could finish, an arrow pierced his heart, killing him instantly.
“Intruder alert!” The soldiers shouted as the village was plunged into chaos, everyone on high alert, searching for the assassin.
“Right…? He must have meant the Right Minister Gilles! Unforgivable!” Xiao Jie slammed the table in fury, enraged at losing their only witness.
The soldiers scoured the village throughout the night but found no trace of the intruder.
“Apologies, General, we could not find the assassin,” a soldier reported.
“Forget it! Just focus on the incoming attack from Nian. I shall deal with this matter another day,” Xiao Jie commanded, frustration evident in his voice.
“Yes, General!” The soldiers returned to their posts, bracing for the impending battle.
“Damned Gilles, just you wait. I will not let this matter slide!”
Xiao Jie clenched his fists tightly, vowing to expose Gilles’s evil deeds.
“General, Nian spotted in the forest three kilometers away!” a scout reported, breathless from the urgency.
“Very well! Get into crane formation!” Xiao Jie commanded.
“Yes, General!” The soldiers moved swiftly, spreading out horizontally to form a line perpendicular to Nian’s approach. The formation's ends curved slightly forward, resembling a crane’s wings. The front row bore huge shields, while the second row armed themselves with Fire Spears.
"Remember," Xiao Jie addressed his troops,
"Nian’s weakness is loud noise and fire. These Fire Spears are designed specifically to counter Nian’s threat."
From the forest emerged a monstrous beast, three meters tall, with jagged teeth and a flat-faced lion's head on a dog-like body. Its red fur bristled as it stomped forward, its eyes locked on the soldiers.
“Incoming!” the brigade captain shouted.
Nian picked up speed, charging directly at the formation. The ground shook with its powerful strides, and the soldiers braced themselves for the impact.
“Hold the line!” Xiao Jie yelled.
“Prepare the Fire Spears!”
As Nian closed in, the front row anchored their shields into the ground, creating an impenetrable wall. The second row raised their Fire Spears, ready to unleash their fiery payloads.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” Several soldiers, overcome by Nian’s [Panic Aura], broke ranks and started to flee.
"I have to end this fast before more soldiers get influenced by its skill," he thought, his eyes narrowing with determination.
A loud 'clang' resonated as Nian clashed with the middle section of the formation. The beast’s terrifying presence and [Panic Aura] caused more soldiers to scatter.
“Fire!” Xiao Jie commanded. The second row’s soldiers activated their Fire Spears, shooting fire pellets at Nian, forcing the beast to recoil.
“Surround Nian!” he shouted. Both flanks of the formation began to curve around, trapping Nian inside a tightening ring.
“Fire at will!” The soldiers unleashed a continuous barrage of fire pellets, their Fire Spears lighting up the night.
Nian roared in agony, charging toward the front. As it smashed into the shield bearers, the [Panic Aura] again took its toll, and more soldiers fled, opening a gap in the middle.
With a ferocious leap, Nian broke through the formation and charged into the village, smashing past the barricades.
“No!” Xiao Jie yelled, sprinting after the beast. He caught up with Nian and threw himself at it, managing to hold it off and push it back. It became a fierce contest of strength, man against beast.
“Amazing…the general is matching Nian in strength…” The soldiers were in awe, staring in disbelief.
With a final surge of power, Xiao Jie managed to push Nian back, taking advantage of its injuries. He slammed the beast to the ground.
Drawing Zhan Lu from his back, Xiao Jie executed an overhead strike, killing Nian in one blow.
“Hooray! General defeated Nian!” Cheers erupted from the soldiers.
“Huh? There’s more than one Nian?!” As the soldiers celebrated, another, smaller Nian emerged from the forest, catching them off guard.
The new Nian charged into the village, bypassing the barricades as the soldiers scrambled to reform their ranks.
“A second Nian?!” Xiao Jie exclaimed. As the beast ran toward him, he cleaved it in half with a diagonal upward swing of Zhan Lu.
“This smaller Nian must be the first Nian’s child…” Xiao Jie thought, feeling a pang of sorrow.
“I pray for your safe passage to heaven…” This was the first time a second Nian had appeared, and the situation weighed heavily on him.
“A-apologies, General, we failed to stop the second Nian due to our incompetence!” The soldiers ran towards Xiao Jie and began genuflecting, one palm covering a fist.
“Learn from your mistakes. A moment’s blunder can mean life or death,” Xiao Jie admonished, though his tone was not harsh.
“I will let this matter go this time. There is no next time. You are dismissed for now.”
“Y-yes, General!” The soldiers responded in unison, grateful for his leniency.
As they dispersed, Xiao Jie sheathed Zhan Lu, his mind already working on strategies to prevent such an oversight from happening again.
Comments (0)
See all