The Orchid Farmer's Sacrifice

by Fred Yu

  “I wouldn’t call two thousand pike men an army.”

  Feng felt the weight of a boulder lift from his chest. Zeng Xi knew he had two thousand pike men. The guard with the mole on his cheek did join Zeng Xi’s army. Everything worked out as planned.

  “So, are you related to the real General Mu?”

  “Absolutely. I’m a great strategist like General Mu.”

  Zeng Xi almost couldn’t contain his laughter. “I wouldn’t call Mu a great strategist either.”

  “No? And why not?”

  “A simple rumor and a secret letter,” Zeng Xi said, “and I tricked Mu into thinking his daughter was being held in Mongolia. He moved his entire army out there to look for her when I had her a few miles from his city. Not very brilliant if you ask me.”

  It took every last bit of Feng’s will to hold the calm expression on his face. He forced a smile, picked up the small flask of liquor, and poured himself a drink.

  “Why trick him into Mongolia?”

  “So the Silencer could wipe him out. He did manage to evade the Silencer, but having him out of the way for a couple weeks wasn’t bad either.”

  “And I heard,” Feng said when he was certain his voice would not quiver, “you had his daughter executed. Any particular reason why you did that?”

  Zeng Xi leaned to the side of his seat, looking almost pleased with himself. “On general principle alone. I didn’t need her anymore.”

  Feng clenched the cup in his hand so hard he thought he would crush it. He couldn’t reveal his emotions now, or all would be lost. He came here with a mission, and he could not falter. General Yang depended on it.

  “We’re in a civil war, General Zeng,” Feng said, changing the subject. “But you’re on the wrong side. A man of your talents should be able to foresee who the winner is going to be. Why fight a losing war?”

  “I can’t believe someone so blind would even be allowed to lead two thousand men,” Zeng Xi responded.

  “The Judge is guilty of treason. Anyone supporting him is also guilty of treason, and that includes you. I have a responsibility to arrest you.”

  “Look behind me,” Zeng Xi said with a smile.

  “You know your numbers are worthless in a narrow passageway,” Feng said. “Besides, you don’t know what I plan to do to you. If you dare venture into the unknown, you’ll have to face the consequences.”

  “That’s the most childish bluff I’ve ever heard,” Zeng Xi said. “After I crush you like a cockroach under my boot, you’ll join the long list of fools who tried to fight someone who’s never lost a battle.”

  “I heard about your invasion on Mount Oleander,” Feng said. “You brought an army of thousands, and you couldn’t even kill off a small criminal cult. I wouldn’t say I’ve never lost a battle if I were you.”

  Zeng Xi didn’t say anything but digested his enemy’s words in silence. It was almost time for Feng to leave.

  “When I capture your flag,” Feng said, “and I set it on fire, are you going to be able to take it back, or are you going to use the Judge’s flag?”

  Feng rose to his feet and smiled at Zeng Xi’s blank face, then turned and hopped onto his horse. He kicked the charger and headed back to the Glimpse of Sky, relief flowing through him. He saw it in Zeng Xi’s eyes. The Great Prodigy would attack before sunrise, and he would send his archers.

  Feng rode deep into the winding passageways, his hands still trembling by the time he stopped and dismounted. He could no longer hide the shame and remorse from his face, and he turned and buried his head against the saddle. His father did try to save his sister. He mobilized his entire army to search for his daughter. But he fell for a ruse. How was Zeng Xi able to trick a great strategist like his father?

  Night was beginning to fall, and many of his men had woken up. He wiped the tears from his face and steadied himself. There was no time to ponder the situation. He needed to focus.

  Feng gathered twenty men and ordered them to bring the long ropes he had prepared. They were to scale the canyons and secure the ropes up top. He summoned two of his commanders for specific instructions.

  “Take five hundred men,” Feng said. “Give each man a torch to carry, and set two men to a drum. When Zeng Xi attacks, use the torches and drums to create chaos and noise, then retreat into the passageways. Retreat quickly. The enemy will follow. I expect a handful of pike men and many archers. Zeng Xi should expect an ambush from above, and they will shoot at the rock formations on either side. When you pass a marker indicating you’re deep enough in the canyons, drop the torches and drums and run. Don’t engage the enemy. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, General!” they responded in unison.

  He motioned for the remaining five hundred men. “We’re scaling these cliffs in the dark. Every man is to carry a torch and an oil canister. We’ll circle behind Zeng Xi’s army in complete silence. No one is to speak or light a single torch. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, General!”

  There was a shout from above. The first of the twenty ropes had already been secured, and now it dangled into the path. “I’ll climb first,” Feng said.

  “Message!”

  Feng turned to the messenger running up to him. He held up his hand. “No need to bow.”

  “General! The Judge’s main army of fifty thousand is attacking the City of Eternal Peace.”

  “With what?”

  “They’re trying to scale the walls with ladders, sir. They have not been successful. The Zhuge Nu still fire into the city, but General Yang has been able to prevent the enemy from entering.”

  “Good! General Yang should be able to hold the city. Report back to me if anything changes.”

  “Yes, General! There’s something else, sir.”

  “Speak.”

  “A few of us saw two people enter the canyons. They ran in from above.”

  “Any idea who they are?”

  “Two women, sir. An older woman and a young one dressed in bright red. We’re worried about assassins.”

  Feng’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be true? If anyone had the resources to find him, it would be the Venom Sect. He spun around, grabbed the rope, and began to climb. The ascent was not difficult, although it was imposing enough from below. With the ropes his men should be able to scale the canyon in very little time.

  Feng reached the top and leaped over the edge. The twenty men who originally scaled the cliff stepped forward to bow. “Any sign of two women?” he asked.

  “Sir, no one else is up here,” one of them responded.

  Feng ran to the eastern edge of the canyon but saw nothing, then to the western edge. In front of him at a great distance, the war raged outside the City of Eternal Peace. The city was far away, but he could see the light from the invaders’ torches, and he could make out the rise and ebb of the battle. He knew General Yang was the most powerful of the four Tiger Generals, although his father was more feared because of his craftiness and unpredictability. Invading a city defended by Yang with equal numbers was impossible.

  Feng sensed movement behind him. Either she was immune to poison, or she was an assassin. He drew a poison needle, spun around, and launched it. He heard a laugh. It was Ming’s voice.

  She was still dressed in red, the gold ornaments dangling from her belt. She was as beautiful as ever. She pulled out the needle embedded in her arm, tossed it aside, and approached him with even steps. Feng wanted to run to her, to wrap his arms around her, but her demeanor held him back. This was the moment he had waited for, when he would see her again and tell her how much he loved her. He forgot all the upcoming challenges—the enormous task before him, the pending battle with Zeng Xi. Yet, he approached her cautiously.

  Her lips were pressed together, her eyebrows knit, but there was no hostility in her face. Only hurt.

  “You’ve forgiven me?” Feng asked.

  “Do you deserve it?”

  He lowered his eyes. “I don’t.”

  “I came
to tell you two things,” she said. “Both are urgent.”

  Feng gazed into her eyes. “Tell me.”

  “I captured someone yesterday, and Iron Spider tortured him for information.”

  “You have to stop torturing people, Ming.”

  “He told her an assassin was assigned to murder your father. Someone he would never suspect.”

  Feng sucked in his breath. “My father? Is he back?”

  “Maybe he came back to defend the city.” Ming shrugged. “But your father is a great strategist. You said no one could outsmart him.”

  Feng felt cold, the dreadful feeling of impending danger creeping into his bones. His father was not invincible. It never occurred to him that old General Mu could be deceived, and if he could fall for a trap, he could be assassinated.

  Feng was unsure what to do next. If he ran through the Glimpse of Sky now, he would have a straight road ahead of him to the City of Stones. He needed to go home. Perhaps Ah Go had not returned yet, and his father was in grave danger. He had to deal with the assassin alone. He at least had to try—and perhaps die trying.

  The voice of the Orchid Farmer echoed in his mind. He had a responsibility to live. Whatever the reason was, whatever the Crest of Destiny meant, he had to stay alive. He owed that to the Orchid Farmer’s family.

  Feng glanced at the raging battle outside the City of Eternal Peace. Once Zeng Xi pushed through with the siege weapons, would General Yang still be able to defend the city?

  He had to hold Zeng Xi tonight. It was not time to go home yet.

  Feng turned back to Ming. “What was the second thing you came to tell me?”

  She took a step forward, leaned into his arms, pressed her cheeks against his, and whispered into his ear, “I love you too.”

  Feng’s legs weakened. He had been waiting to hear these very words every minute of each day, and when they finally came, he didn’t know what to say. Ming seemed to read his mind. She lifted a finger and pressed it against his lips. “Don’t say anything,” she said. “You have a war to fight. I came to fight by your side. Win or lose. Live or die.”

  A tear flowed down his cheek. She sensed it and reached over to brush it away.

  “Message!”

  Feng broke from her embrace. A soldier ran forth, his footsteps calm and even. He bowed and said, “General, the enemy has mobilized.”

  “Notify the commanders below. Where are my five hundred climbers?”

  “Everyone is on the canyon, sir. We didn’t want to disturb—”

  “Prepare to mobilize!”

  “Yes, General!”

  An old woman cackled nearby. “Promoted to general and still barking like a neutered dog.”

  Feng spun around with a smile. Strange, how happy he was to see the old woman. “Iron Spider!”

  Iron Spider, looking stronger than ever, approached him with her hands behind her back and a haughty expression on her face. “General Mu. Would you allow an old lady to join your war?”

  “Not unless she knows how to fight.”

  Iron Spider took Feng’s hands and winked. “I serve the master, and the man whom the master plans to marry is entitled to give me orders. So, General, what are your orders tonight?”

  Ming blushed a crimson red. Feng turned back to Iron Spider. “I want you to protect the master and make sure she doesn’t rush into enemy lines without my permission.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “I’m here to protect you,” Ming said, “and now I need your permission to kill?”

  “I don’t need protection,” Feng said.

  “Message!” A soldier ran up to them.

  “Speak!”

  “General! The enemy has mobilized their pike unit. Twenty thousand men are approaching us.”

  Feng laughed. “Excellent. Notify the commanders below.”

  “Yes, General!”

  Feng headed back to the five hundred men gathering at the top of the canyon. “Soldiers of the Chinese empire!” he called. The men turned to him and bowed.

  “No need to bow. We’re all soldiers ready to give up our lives to protect the people. Tonight we attack Zeng Xi’s army, five hundred to fifty thousand. Are we ready?”

  “Yes!” they shouted in unison.

  “I don’t understand,” Iron Spider said. “You said you’re attacking fifty thousand men with five hundred. They heard those numbers, and they’re ready to fight?”

  Feng turned to her. “Only amateurs attack their opponents. Real warriors entice the enemy to get themselves killed.”

  * * *

  By the time Feng and his five hundred men lowered themselves from the canyons, the enemy archers and pike men were already in place. Feng’s troops waited a short distance from Zeng Xi’s camp. They stayed in the shadows and ran across the open terrain, away from the canyons, and within minutes they had circled behind Zeng Xi’s camp undetected.

  Feng motioned for his men to crouch behind the tall grass and wait. The siege weapons were in sight, about twenty unassembled trebuchets and mobile walls mounted on heavy wagons and drawn by four horses each. Only the battering ram was not on a wagon. The horses were harnessed and ready, a sign that Zeng Xi believed he could plow his way through Feng’s meager numbers and continue his march to the City of Eternal Peace without pause.

  Feng flashed his hand signals, assigning half his men to assault the few guards standing around the siege equipment and the other half to throw their oil canisters. The enemy guards all faced the Glimpse of Sky, watching the battle unfold. None of them stood close to the siege weapons.

  Feng waited. Ming stood at his side. He touched her hand and realized four throwing spikes laced with poison were already in her fist. She turned to him and smiled. She was ready to kill.

  Feng leaned toward Iron Spider and whispered into her ear. “Do you see Zeng Xi’s flag over there?”

  She nodded. “You want it?”

  “Yes,” Feng said. “And if I set it on fire, Zeng Xi himself will chase me and bark after me like a neutered dog.”

  Her lips curled into a smile. “I’ll get it for you.”

  Far in the distance, beyond Zeng Xi’s camp and his lines of cavalry and chariots, Zeng Xi’s massive army approached the mouth of the Glimpse of Sky. Feng held his breath. Zeng Xi was expecting an ambush from the canyon walls. For a naturally suspicious man to launch his invasion without a second thought, he had to believe he possessed superior information. If all went according to plan, his archers would rush into the canyons, and they would be too far away to turn around and fire at Feng and his men.

  The thunder of multiple war drums emerged from the Glimpse of Sky. Feng’s five hundred men inside the passageways had begun their act. The war drums grew louder. All two hundred and fifty of them struck at high speed until the noise became a continuous drone. Slowly the noise faded away. Feng’s drummers were retreating as planned, luring the archers further into the canyon.

  Feng waited. Suddenly a strange thought emerged in his mind and refused to fade. Zeng Xi was a suspicious man, but he was impulsive as well. So, the Great Prodigy was equally vulnerable to emotional provocation.

  Zeng Xi had fallen for every ploy Feng concocted, from the traps on Mount Oleander to the ruse with the scorned guard spreading false information. He was a man of famed talent, and yet he invaded Mount Oleander without archers and without understanding the terrain. He could have sent a meager one thousand men across the ravine ahead of time in an area where the river was possible to cross. Then, he could have sealed off the Venom Sect’s escape route. And today he could have sent climbers to scale the canyons in the dark and verify from above that the suspected ambush was indeed in place before launching a full-scale war. Yet, Zeng Xi believed the information he received. Perhaps the Great Prodigy wasn’t so great after all.

  There was a shout from the lines of cavalry—Zeng Xi’s voice—followed by long blasts of the war horns. Thousands of men screamed in unison, their own war drums pounding furiously.
Zeng Xi’s army charged.

  Feng held up a hand, ordering his men to hold. In his heart he counted the footsteps of ten thousand men. The archers were approaching the mouth of the passageway. The thin lines of pike men in front of them would already be inside the Glimpse of Sky. The forty thousand infantry would advance like a tidal wave behind them.

  The war drums from his five hundred men continued to fade. Now, the enemy archers would all be inside the winding passageways.

  Feng leaped into the air. He took advantage of the noise and tore through Zeng Xi’s empty camp from behind, closing in on the few men guarding the siege weapons. He stabbed the closest enemy soldier while running past him. Two poisoned knives flew in, their blackened blades burying themselves into the backs of two guards. In a flash Ming was by his side. Iron Spider fell upon the enemy, her long white hair flowing like a demon and her sword twirling in front of her. She passed them and headed for Zeng Xi’s flag.

  Feng’s pike men jumped out of their hidden positions and launched themselves into battle. Several hundred spears quickly laid waste to the guards, who never had time to draw their weapons. Most of them were stabbed from behind.

  “Oil!” Feng shouted.

  The men standing behind the initial assault threw their oil canisters into the wagons. The ceramics broke apart on impact and splashed thick oil all over the wooden siege weapons.

  “Fire!” Feng shouted.

  Torches were ignited and hurled into the wagons. Ripping flames erupted behind the horses. The animals screamed and lurched forward, anxious to run away from the fire they were pulling.

  “Oil!” Feng shouted.

  The second half of his men tossed aside their spears and charged, throwing their oil canisters into the flames, deeper into the wagons and closer to the horses. The fire roared several times greater than its original height, creating a scorching inferno so hot the animals shrieked and charged forward in panic. They headed straight for the back of Zeng Xi’s lines.

  “Torches!” Feng shouted. “Raise your torches!”

  Half his men had not thrown their torches. They ignited the torches and held them high above their heads for the enemy to see.