The Wall of Love
Tanisha Vashishtha, Group 2: Fiction, French International School
t was a gloomy day with dark skies and thunder clouds all over. Emperor Qin was learning the fine
techniques of Martial Arts. Suddenly he heard loud thuds and thumping seemed like elephants, horses and
people marching. The sound seemed to surround the mountains and valleys. He thought to himself, “I
should take a look and see what’s happening. Seems like something is not right.’’ Just as he was wondering,
before he knew, Li Si, his minister, came running along frightened and gasping for breath. “O Emperor, O
Emperor,” he hailed aloud, “The Mongols are here again. Ready to attack and this time they seem a lot
bigger army than before and also seem they have more horses and elephants. They have been looting and
burning homes along the way as they are approaching us. We have some villagers who escaped and are pleading
for help.”
I
On hearing Li Si, the emperor fumed with anger and ordered Li Si to be ready to fight. “Get my army ready,
get all the men in this country to fight for me, for their land for their safety. We have to teach Genghis Khan a
lesson, we have to defeat him and we have to kill him”, he yelled. Li Si immediately followed the emperors
orders and called upon the Terracotta army, “Get ready, we have to fight, the battle has begun and mind you the
Mongols are very powerful and Genghis Khan is a cruel man, he will kill us all so we have to kill him. Get all
the villagers men and boys to join the battle and fight for the emperor.” They got all the people working to build
the Great Wall ordered by Emperor Qin to join the battle, there were men old and young, grown up boys and
thieves and robbers held in prison. All were forced to join the battle.
As the army and the people were moving towards the invaders, Emperor Qin saw a portion of his wall being
destroyed by the Mongols. He was furious and swore that he would build a wall, the greatest of all, the longest
and biggest ever built by man all across unified China so that the Mongols could never come back and no other
invader would ever get past. They all went on to fight the battle and after some fierce fighting Emperor Qin
triumphed and defeated the Mongols.
That night when the battle ended the sky was full of stars gazing over the high mountains. Emperor Qin
ordered his army and all the men, soldiers, criminals and common people to gather at the fields. He announced,
“
We will build a wall that no man can ever cross. This will be the greatest wall ever and will stretch across the
entire north of China. The work shall being tomorrow morning and everyman in this country has to work to
build this wall else he will be beheaded or buried alive. “
Next morning the work began, men and boys were pulled away from their homes and dragged to the
mountains to work and build the wall. Every person possible was taken. Women feared they would loose their
husband and children. They would die working hard, days and nights with not much food and shelter and that
was true. As days and years passed by those who went to build the wall never returned. They died and were
buried in the wall. In fact, some of them are buried alive too. Rain or snow, hot or cold the emperor didn’t care,
all he wanted was to build the wall. People worked hard day and night, in scorching sunlight and through
freezing winters, with little food and shelter. If they stopped they were whipped by the emperors’ men.
One of them was a young handsome man named Wei Long, just married and taken away by the emperors’
men right after he got married. He had to leave his lady love, Xui Li that was sad and cried and refused to leave
him. So finally she followed him. She searched all through the mountains and valleys, all across the portions of
the wall only to find out in the end that he was buried alive. He was a young man and wanted to live a free life
with his love, his wife. He didn’t want to work and build the wall and so he revolted against the emperor’s men.
In a fury the emperor ordered to bury him alive. The workers helped her to find the section of the wall where he
was buried alive and she immediately toiled hard and started to break the wall to find him. Finally after days of
hard work she managed to break thru part of the wall and found his body stuck to the wall. She loved him so
much that she then decided to bury herself alive right next to him. She pleaded to the workers to rebuild the wall
as she stood inside it fearless for the love of her life. The workers completed the wall and next morning an angel
appeared. She told the people that this is the most beautiful portion of the wall and will have the best and the
most scenic views and will be remembered for the true love of Wei Long and Xui Li.
It’s amazing ever since that day, every spring twin flowers bloom around the section of the wall where Wei
Long and Xui Li were buried alive. Couples visit this portion of the wall to celebrate their true love for each
other.
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