Coiling Dragon's Past

Woling Pass was easy to defend and hard to attack. Now, the rebels were the defenders.

He Chunhua straightened his expression and asked solemnly, "What should this subordinate do?"

Such a thunderous bomb had exploded in the heart of Yuan Kingdom, leaving the nation's fate hanging by a thread. Even a common man bore responsibility, much less an official like him.

To keep shirking responsibility at a time like this would be downright disgraceful.

Just then, the servants replaced the tea. Sun Fuping took a sip of the hot brew and raised a seemingly unrelated question. "Governor He has spent many years in Qiansong Prefecture. Do you know how the wilderness became the Coiling Dragon Desert, and the origins of Red Cliff Road?"

Why was he asking about that? He Chunhua frowned.

"This is a matter of local history. Around a hundred and fifty years before Great Yuan was founded, the land beneath our feet belonged to Xiluo Kingdom. Back then, the Coiling Dragon Desert was not yet wilderness. Rainfall was merely somewhat scarce, but there were still forests and seasonal rivers. At the height of its power, Xiluo Kingdom established four prefectures and twelve cities in its western territory to guard this bustling trade route running east to west. The largest of them was Coiling Dragon City."

"Later, Xiluo gradually declined and suffered defeat after defeat abroad. Baling and Xianyou Kingdom vied to nibble away at its territory. Apart from the Coiling Dragon Wilderness, which still held out on its own, all of Xiluo Kingdom's western lands were occupied. The Coiling Dragon Wilderness thus became an exclave, hanging alone beyond Xiluo's borders, a thousand li away from its motherland."

He Lingchuan listened silently to this piece of history as well. Every resident of Blackwater City had heard of the origins of the Coiling Dragon Desert, and the original owner of this body was no exception.

"Baling and Xianyou Kingdom attacked the Coiling Dragon Wilderness for thirty-two years, while the Xiluo defenders, led by Coiling Dragon City's commander Zhong Shengguang, held fast for thirty-two years as well, fighting for every inch of land!" He Chunhua turned to his eldest son. "Lingchuan, do you remember the name of that force?"

"The Great Wind Army!" He Lingchuan nodded. "Tougher even than the poplar, their solitary loyalty could not fulfill their grand ambitions—the Great Wind Army, trapped behind enemy lines!"

The Great Wind Army was besieged by two mighty enemies and cut off from its homeland. It lacked food and water, and received not the slightest aid from Xiluo.

Yet even so, it held out for a full thirty-two years.

One could hear such a legend a hundred times and never tire of it.

"In the twelfth year of Coiling Dragon City's siege, Xianyou Kingdom and Xiluo briefly made peace, and the Great Wind Army seized the chance to send word home. Xiluo's ruler had never expected Coiling Dragon City to remain standing, so he issued rewards and commendations. At the same time, he transferred most of the Great Wind Army's elite back to the country to suppress rebellions." Since his father had stopped speaking, He Lingchuan simply continued. "But Xianyou soon fell out with Xiluo again, and the route between the Coiling Dragon Wilderness and the homeland was cut off once more. The Great Wind Army was plunged back into its plight."

"After that, Xiluo was ravaged by war year after year and had no time to look westward again. With no aid and almost all its main force gone, the Great Wind Army persisted for another twenty years."

The will of that army could no longer be described as steel. What a pity that its homeland was weak and feeble, squandering such fine soldiers.

A nation unworthy of its warriors—He Lingchuan felt those words fit perfectly.

"Well said." Nian Songyu applauded him twice. "But how did the wilderness become a desert?"

"The Great Wind Army refused to surrender until death, fighting until the last man. Coiling Dragon City, too, was slaughtered by the enemy in vented fury, with no survivors left." This was also the most classic passage in teahouse storytellers' tales. "Those battles were too tragic. The fury and resentment of the heroic souls surged into the heavens and seeped into the earth, extinguishing all life for a hundred li around Coiling Dragon City and diverting the rivers. Thus, the wilderness slowly became a desert."

"There is another account. Coiling Dragon City's commander, Zhong Shengguang, was himself a powerful spellcaster. Knowing that one tree could not hold up the forest, when Coiling Dragon City fell, he gathered the strength of tens of thousands of heroic souls and cursed this land, turning it into a barren wasteland." He Lingchuan shrugged. "That way, Xiluo could not keep the Coiling Dragon lands, but neither could Baling or Xianyou Kingdom take them away. In truth, this desert now belongs to no nation."

"What else?"

"But Zhong Shengguang also left a thread of life for living things entering and leaving the desert: Red Cliff Road. That was once the route traveled by the Great Wind Army." He Lingchuan looked at Nian Songyu. "There are many more details. If you want to keep listening, we should start the feast and talk while we eat."

State Preceptor Sun asked He Chunhua, "Is that all Governor He knows as well?"

"More or less." He Chunhua sensed something amiss. "What does the State Preceptor mean?" Stop beating around the bush.

"The Great Wind Army was indeed an army of steel, and Commander Zhong Shengguang was indeed an extraordinary man. But after most of their elite main force had been transferred home, how could the Great Wind Army have continued defending alone for another twenty years? By then, Xianyou Kingdom's army could sweep through most of Xiluo. Even if Xiluo still had famed generals, they could not withstand it." State Preceptor Sun said calmly, "You and I both know this could not have been achieved through passionate blood alone."

Victory and defeat in war depended only on strength. The cruelest truth was that no matter how fervent the weak might be, they could not escape their fated ruin.

The enemy had been so powerful, especially Xianyou Kingdom, with its elite troops and capable generals. They had launched more than three hundred attacks against Coiling Dragon City. At their most intense, there had been fifteen in a single month.

Lacking food, water, men, and weapons, what had allowed the Great Wind Army to endure?

He Chunhua could only answer, "The historical records are insufficient. There is no basis for judgment."

No matter how stirring the tale, it was still an event from over a century ago. Later generations could sigh over it, but how many intended to investigate it deeply?

At least He Chunhua did not. He had more important matters to handle.

"State Preceptor Sun, what exactly does the Coiling Dragon Desert's past have to do with Great Yuan's present predicament?" Those two could not possibly have traveled a thousand li just to hear him tell stories.

Here came the main event. Sun Fuping rose, took two steps forward, and stared into his eyes. "This is what I wish to discuss. The key to the Great Wind Army's endurance may also be the key to turning the tide at Woling Pass and lifting the danger threatening the capital! Governor He, this time, you cannot shirk your responsibility!"

He Chunhua's face turned grave. "I would like to hear the details."

But He Lingchuan felt that the other party was finally revealing the dagger once the map was exhausted, though he had first placed an enormous burden on them. He did not know whether his father could bear it.

"The Great Wind Army's chief clerk, He Jian, followed Zhong Shengguang for many years and died of illness before the city fell. After Xianyou Kingdom captured Coiling Dragon City and inventoried his belongings, they discovered that he had left a brief account of this history."

"He Jian's records survived, passing through many twists and turns before ultimately finding their way into the Great Yuan court."

He Lingchuan could not help interjecting, "So the truth had been hidden in our country all along. Why has there been no trace of it in the histories?"

Every nation had official historical archives recording the histories of its own dynasty and previous dynasties, especially the latter. Accounts of the current dynasty were often brushed over in a few strokes, but scholars studied the histories of former dynasties most deeply. From secret affairs and old tales to human feelings and human nature, there was no need to explain why. Everyone understood.

Moreover, such research was willingly made public, especially tales of loyal martyrs like Coiling Dragon City and the Great Wind Army. They should have been held up as models to educate the people and achieve a subtle, rain-soaking effect.

Nian Songyu smiled. "Because it could not be spoken of!"

"By then, the records were already badly damaged. Few complete sentences could be pieced together, and the full historical picture could not be restored. But one matter was recorded with absolute clarity—"