The Great Purge

The first ray of dawn sunlight shone into the Central Army's conference hall.

The hall, packed with more than three hundred people, was silent as a grave.

The officers were pale-faced, their eyes bloodshot. Not one of them had slept.

Throughout the night, they had heard the battle cries of the Far East Army entering the city, the thunder of hooves, the fierce clash of weapons, the screams of the dying, the announcement that Yang Minghua was dead, women weeping and begging, burning houses collapsing, civilians crying for help and cursing... and even the soft "hiss hiss" of snowflakes falling to the ground.

And they—the commanders of the largest armed force in the Imperial Capital, arguably the most powerful men in the city at this very moment—could only sit there listening with pale faces. They had not realized that the power in their hands was fully capable of turning the tide and deciding the fate of the Imperial Capital, even of the entire family...

Outside came the synchronized tread of marching formations, shouted commands and cries in Far Eastern accents, the hoofbeats of cavalry, and overwhelming cries of "Long live!"—the Far East forces had entered and taken control of Central Army headquarters.

Their pale faces turned deathly white. The way the officers looked at Zichuan Xiu reminded him of rabbits that had spotted a wolf.

Zichuan Xiu nodded solemnly to them, meaning: Please rest assured. Nothing will happen.

A mass of soldiers surged in and surrounded the hall.

Di Lin appeared in the doorway—after a night of fierce fighting, he looked strangely energetic. A few flecks of blood stained his exquisitely feminine face, making him look positively—"bewitching"!

Zichuan Xiu went up to him with a smile. "Big Brother, you fought hard all night. You've had it rough!" This was the first time in three years that he had publicly called Di Lin "Big Brother."

Di Lin smiled at Zichuan Xiu. "You too, Axu." Though Zichuan Xiu had not fought personally, the pressure on his mind had been no lighter than Di Lin's.

"Axu, have your people leave."

Once Shirakawa and Zichuan Xiu's other subordinates had withdrawn from the hall, Di Lin swept a contemptuous glance over the frightened, uneasy Central Army officers and gave the order: "Take them!"

The Far East soldiers pounced like wolves and tigers, several against each man, binding the Central Army officers—who offered little resistance—tight as dumplings. They had not resisted when they still could; now, self-defense was meaningless.

Di Lin stepped into the center. "I will now read the Commander-in-Chief's written order: 'Officers of the Central Army, you hold high positions, draw lavish salaries, and bear lofty ranks. You should have devoted yourselves wholeheartedly in service and loyalty to the family. Yet you secretly allied yourselves with the great and wicked traitors Yang Minghua, Lei Xun, and the like, slaughtered the loyal and good, deceived your lord, and betrayed your country. Among all under heaven, are there any more ungrateful, wolf-hearted, dog-lunged wretches than you? To safeguard the glory of the family's Sacred Eagle Flag, I hereby order Acting Chief Inspector Di Lin to proceed and rectify the discipline of the Central Army, purge the remnants of the rebel faction, and ensure that the Central Army's glorious name, preserved since His Highness Yalimei, shall not be sullied! Zichuan Canxing, March 27, Imperial Year 779.'"

After reading the order, Di Lin waved a hand. "By order of the Commander-in-Chief, the Central Army officers followed Lei Xun in rebellion, their crimes heinous beyond measure. I, the Acting Chief Inspector, hereby order that all Central Army personnel from Vice Banner Captain upward be executed!"

The room instantly erupted like a boiling cauldron. Cries of injustice shook the heavens. "We've been wronged! We didn't do anything!"

"Lord Di Lin, show mercy!"

"We were just sitting here properly all night!"

Ge Xin's roar was the most startling of all. "Zichuan Xiu, you dog of a traitor! You dared to deceive us! Even as a ghost, I won't spare you! Just you wait!"

Zichuan Xiu stood to one side, listening in stunned disbelief. He hurried over to Di Lin. "Big Brother, they really didn't do anything."

"This is the Commander-in-Chief's intention."

"But they really have been wronged..."

"Axu, you truly are too naïve—where is there such a thing as being wronged in a political struggle? The only difference is whether someone dies for a cause or dies in vain. How can you be sure none of them want to avenge Yang Minghua? Then you and I would be the first to suffer!"

"They don't deserve to die..."

"Axu, after all that, you still don't understand. Their crime lies precisely in doing nothing! They held the power of more than a hundred thousand troops in their hands, yet sat here watching the situation unfold, watching the wind and reading the colors of the sky. No matter which side won, neither would let them off. If Yang Minghua had won, and you went to him and said, 'Let's forget our old grievances and be friends,' do you think he would have spared you?"

Zichuan Xiu drew a deep breath. "No matter what, I can't let them die. I swore that I would guarantee their safety!"

Di Lin sneered. "An oath? Oaths are made to be broken. Don't say another word to me. This is the Commander-in-Chief's intention."

"The Commander-in-Chief only told you to set things right. He never told you to carry out a massacre!"

"Axu! When you are an official, sometimes you have to divine your superior's intentions. There are things a superior need not spell out in black and white. If this were not the reason the Commander-in-Chief sent me to rectify matters, why would he have sent me? You are stationed here—wouldn't it have been enough for him to send you a direct order?"

"I don't understand! In any case, the Commander-in-Chief never—"

"Enough, Axu! I am the Acting Chief Inspector now, and I am carrying out my duty! Stand aside!"

"Big Brother!" Zichuan Xiu let out a cry so mournful that even Di Lin, hard as iron and stone, softened for a moment.

"Give me one hour. Let me see the Commander-in-Chief and ask him myself!"

"Axu, this will do your future no good. The Commander-in-Chief will not like anyone speaking for the rebel faction! Your superior, Director Gushan, already spoke up, and what happened? She was stripped of her post for having an unsteady stance!"

"Big Brother, all these years, have I ever begged you for anything? Give me one hour. Please!"

Di Lin pondered for a long while. "Fine. Just one hour. If the Commander-in-Chief does not agree, you need not come back. After all, this is not a pleasant sight to witness."

Before his words had even faded, Zichuan Xiu was already running outside, tossing back, "Everyone, rest assured! Nothing will happen!"

At the camp gate, he snatched a warhorse from a cavalryman's hand and galloped furiously toward the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion.

Over the course of a single night, the Imperial Capital's beautiful long streets had become utter hell. Corpses lay scattered every which way across the beautiful, pure snow, their faces twisted in savagery. On some streets, Zichuan Xiu could only advance by urging his horse over thick heaps of bodies...

Countless columns of smoke rose into the bright dawn sky—the smoke of burning houses...

Small bands of mutinous soldiers smashed shops at will, looting whatever they could. One of them spotted Zichuan Xiu passing by and, utterly disregarding his Deputy Commander's uniform, tried to stop and rob him—a flash of steel, and his head had already hit the ground.

Women's cries for help rang out from near and far from time to time: "Help!" One came from the roadside right as Zichuan Xiu passed. He had no choice but to dismount and drive off several soldiers who were about to commit bestial acts.

"Di Lin, what kind of soldiers have you brought?" Zichuan Xiu thought furiously of his days as a commander in the Far East Army, when the Far East Army's discipline had been so strict: if a superior passed within five meters, they immediately sprang to attention and saluted; they were courteous to civilians; looting was strictly forbidden...

Di Lin's men now did not deserve to be called soldiers—indeed, they did not even deserve to be called human!

Upon arriving at the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion, Zichuan Xiu anxiously told the duty officer that he wished to see the Commander-in-Chief.

The officer did not report his request, though he agreed to make an appointment for him: probably in two weeks or so. These were exceptional times, and the Commander-in-Chief's security had to be strengthened! It was not as though any stray cat or dog could see him just by asking...

Zichuan Xiu was so anxious he nearly jumped out of his skin. He then asked to see Sterling.

What unfortunate timing—Lord Sterling had already left the city to pursue the routed enemy.

No matter how Zichuan Xiu begged, pleaded, persuaded, bribed, threatened, or intimidated him, the duty officer seemed to have been carved from granite and simply refused to report his request. In the end, he called several guards to throw the relentlessly pestering Zichuan Xiu out of the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion!

Zichuan Xiu took a deep breath. No helping it—he had only one option left.

Standing before the gates of the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion, Zichuan Xiu spoke in a clear, ringing voice: "Deputy Director of the Family Administration Office, active-duty Deputy Commander, granted the surname Zichuan by the previous Commander-in-Chief, given name Xiu, requests an audience with Lord Zichuan Canxing, Commander-in-Chief, to report an urgent matter!"

Though not loud, his deep, force-filled voice spread through every corner of the vast Commander-in-Chief's Mansion. A large number of Imperial Guard soldiers surged out from the gates, surrounding him as they prepared to act...

A voice came from within: "The Commander-in-Chief summons Zichuan Xiu for an audience!"

The guards opened a path.